Andrew Dickens Afternoons

After taking over the world tiny brick by tiny brick, the global phenomenon LEGO® Masters NZ is coming to TVNZ 2.Hosted by Dai Henwood, LEGO Masters will test the imaginations and the building skills of six teams in our first national brick-off.Dai’s sidekick, Brickmaster Robin Sather will set a colourful mix of new and classic LEGO building challenges, which will be judged on aesthetics, technical and storytelling ability. All in the hopes to find the first team in Aotearoa judged worthy to hold aloft the coveted LEGO Masters trophy.Brickmaster Robin Sather joined Andrew Dickens to chat about the show.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, here it comes. A budget and an election. The season of politicians treating us like idiots and believing they can bribe us into their camp. Labour has released details of police and crime funding that will be announced formally in the budget on May 19. It's a 562-million-dollar package which always sounds impressive. But as always, it's spread over 4 years. In fact, when you look at the numbers and think of the current rate of inflation and cost escalation the whole thing is barely treading water. The headlines are about helping businesses through this ram raid epidemic. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no detail of this help because it doesn't exist yet. How stupid do they think we are. It's an example of a political party trying to shoehorn its existing policy into the news cycle of the day. It's just the same as National swearing black and blue that its intentions to cut tax are to help people through an increase in cost of living while knowing full well that a tax cut is even more inflationary tha

As the Government dropped the latest iteration of its Three Waters water reform on Friday, I was left with the question: “what on earth do you want to achieve with all this?”  For more than 2 years, local and central Governments have been struggling with the issue of water reform.Reform is necessary as too many New Zealand households have substandard water and wastewater services. Meanwhile, antiquated pipes are losing 20% of the water we’ve gathered.  Meanwhile, most of our cities and towns have done a good job in collecting and distributing the water we’ve collected and disposed of the waste we’ve produced.  But the other half has not done a good job and it’s inherently due to underinvestment.  They have underinvested because either their rating base is too small or their electorate cannot see the benefit in higher rates or water charges to fix pipes they can’t see. So, we need to fix them. Why the Government has made it such a minefield is anyone’s guess. The government’s answer is to gather up all the ass

If you're in Christchurch, you'll now need a resource consent to rent out accommodation through Airbnb or any other online booking platforms.The consent won't expire once you've got it, but to get it will cost at least $1000.Airbnb don't like it and are calling the move the most restrictive and outdated home sharing laws in Australasia.Christchurch City Councillor Mike Davidson joined Andrew Dickens.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In just her second Olympics Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has completed her collection of medals, but a historic second gold will have to wait. The snowboarding sensation has been forced to settle for silver in today's big air final in Beijing, upstaged by defending champion Anna Gasser. The Austrian seized gold in a breathtaking climax, becoming the first woman to land a 1260 in Olympic competition with the penultimate jump in the final. That left top qualifier Sadowski-Synnott with one last shot to retake the lead but, unlike in her slopestyle victory nine days ago, she was unable to respond and couldn't quite land a 1260 of her own. The silver medal will still sit triumphantly alongside her slopestyle gold and the bronze she claimed in big air four years ago, when Gasser first took top spot on the podium. Sadowski-Synnott has now claimed the majority share of all the medals New Zealand have won at the Winter Olympics, and nothing about her performance in Beijing suggested she would be stopping at three. The 20-year

It's been a fortnight since I was on ZB and I have watched on in wonder as the world has slowly gone potty. Maybe it’s Covid fatigue, but everyone seems to have lost their minds. Let’s work backwards.   Is everybody else as embarrassed and amazed at the behaviour of our Speaker over the weekend as I am? Trevor Mallard’s actions over this past weekend have frankly been childish. He took a ticklish situation and made it worse. Sprinklers and Barry Manilow are water off a duck’s back to these people and he just gave them a motivator to stay even longer. Mallard’s texts took his immaturity to the world. They’re laughing at you, Trevor. Not with you. That’s not all. Mallard’s call to keep press on the parliamentary balcony and not talking to the protestors was another clanger. Politicians don’t tell the press whom to talk to, Trevor. Who do you think you are? Well done to Barry Soper for getting down and dirty. The rush to evict the protestors from parliament’s grounds is bad call. If they are taxpayers, it’s thei

In this crazy topsy turvy world that is the Covid pandemic it is possible to feel enormous sympathy with Charlotte Bellis, but also little sympathy at all.  So, what the hell happened?Charlotte needs to find a new place to live and have her baby because the place she chose to live in, Qatar, makes it illegal to be unwed and pregnant.  So, she escaped to the father's homeland of Belgium but under EU rules she could only stay there for 3 months. With nowhere else to go, the couple return to Kabul where the regime can spot a PR gift when they see one.  All the while she’s trying to win a place in the New Zealand MIQ lottery and failing. Even though people are going for overseas holidays and returning, others like Charlotte appear to be not so lucky. Pointing out the lack of rationality in a lottery-based system. Then New Zealand closes its borders to its citizens because MIQ is full of Omicron infected Kiwis, but there is no Omicron in the country. The action buys time to make sure more New Zealanders are vaccin

Well let’s start with the good news.  For all the griping about MIQ, I think we owe the system a debt of gratitude.  Without it there would have been no summer. Without it we would have rolled straight from a Delta surge into an Omicron tsunami.  MIQ bought us time. Which is what it's always designed to do. It was never created to keep Covid out forever because that really would be a hermit kingdom. In my eyes it’s all been about suppressing and mitigating the outbreaks so they fit within our meagre capacities. And that happened. While the community went down to just a dozen cases in the community a day, in MIQ Omicron surged to over 500 cases. But the border held firm until now and that's a good thing So, I’m glad that the people who were obsessed with opening up the border at the end of last year were not listened to.  So, let’s also hand it to summer. The good weather and the virtual absence of Covid meant money in the bank for struggling businesses.  The Mercury Bay Informer, published out of Whitianga, r

National has unveiled its new-look line up with big promotions for Chris Bishop and Erica Stanford, now ranked fourth and seventh.Bishop has been reunited with the shadow leader of the house portfolio, which Collins stripped him of.Stanford has taken education from Paul Goldsmith, and retained the immigration portfolio.She has rocketed up the rankings, having been ranked 25th previously.One of the biggest losers is former leader Judith Collins, demoted to 19th. But she still stays in the shadow cabinet, and has the research, science and innovation portfolio.New National Party leader Chris Luxon has decided to part with the tradition of giving the entire caucus - except new and departing MPs - a numbered ranking.Instead, he's given rankings to the first 20 MPs, and left the rest unranked.'Ultimate team sport'Speaking at a press conference after revealing the reshuffle this afternoon, Luxon described politics as the "ultimate team sport".He said his line-up was based on performance, as well as matching people t

So here we are approaching the next hurdle for Christopher Luxon to vault; the choosing of his shadow cabinet.  Last week was spent facing the media and the public in walk abouts. The media indulging in their age old game of playing gotcha politics.  For those who don’t know the gotcha, it’s about asking a question that draws the subject into an awkward reveal.  Jessica and Tova had the opening gambit which was on how many houses Luxon owns. That backfired, as anyone who heard talkback the next day will tell you. All the callers saying that there’s nothing morally wrong with owning property and it’s a sign that he’s successful.  But that wasn’t the gotcha. The gotcha was when Jessica asked how much his Remuera home was worth. Christopher was $2 million off. The implication was that Christopher doesn’t understand the implications of the housing crisis, or has no idea about his own balance sheet, which is a problem if you want to give him the keys to the country’s balance sheet.  There was a double whammy when

It was halfway through last week, and I was having a conversation with a mate about whether MIQ for in-bound citizens was still relevant.  Both of us were noting that with over 2000 active cases in the country, compared to a handful in MIQ, you were more likely to catch Covid in New Zealand rather than from a recent returnee.  So he asked me, can you give me one good reason why we should retain MIQ? There was only one reason I could think of, and that was the possibility of a new variant rising and us needing to prolong our defences as we ready ourselves for another viral invasion.  So imagine my surprise when over the weekend that exact scenario played out.  Omicron was discovered.  Nations immediately prevented flights from Southern Africa.  Australia started the process of re-introducing hotel based MIQ.   The world went on war footing.  And here our slowness to dismantle quarantine measures suddenly looked like an inspired decision, rather than a decision born of fear and a love of being a hermit nation. 

So Auckland waits for 4pm for an announcement that they will be rewarded for their stirling effort in achieving vaccination targets.  They’ve been good little hobbits. They’ve jabbed like their life depends on it.  It’s what being locked down for 98 days will do to you.  The town is desperate for a haircut.  They’re desperate for a sit-down meal.  They live in one of the most highly vaccinated cities in the world.  But I have bad news for Auckland, the chances of them being given that freedom are very low.  Not only has the Prime Minister’s office hinted at that over the weekend, but use your common sense  If the cafes opened on Wednesday under a Level 3.3 model, then one and all, vaxxed and unvaxxed could swan into a café and order a panini.  Then in a few short weeks, the traffic light system comes in and suddenly all the unvaxxed are refused permission to enter the cafes they’ve already been freely entering.  It just won’t work. This means Auckland’s freedoms won’t be denied on vaccination levels but on th

Welcome to the first day of vaccine mandate.  Today was the deadline for teachers and health workers to have had at least one shot of the Covid vaccination.  We all know this has caused some consternation amongst members of those professions who have an antipathy towards the vaccine, and amongst those people against government compulsion.  In fact, there has been a cacophony of calls suggesting that this issue is splitting the nation. Headlines, commentators and talkback callers claim that this is the most divisive issue in our history.  But is it really? To be divisive, you really need to be split 50/50 on an issue, yet in vaccinations we are already pushing 80 percent double vaccinated. That is a very large majority of the country.  What we have is a very loud minority who are prepared to shout division at the top of their lungs.  It is interesting how many of our politicians are pro-vaccination but anti-mandates.  Even the Prime Minister was reticent. Today, David Seymour calls the mandates divisive and me

So once again, we await another announcement about our gradual stumble towards something someone might laughably call freedom  At 4pm, the Government should confirm their in-principle agreement to lower Auckland to Level 3 Step 2.  Otherwise known as a bit of a shop and up to 25 people outdoors, otherwise just as you were, please.  The whole thing is dependent on vaccination rates and hospital beds.  The Government has specified 90 percent double jabbed for freedom, but that could all be reversed if a surge depletes our hospital capacities.  So, everything is based on vaccinations.  Which is why the conversation needs to be re-framed.  It’s not about taking Auckland out of lockdown and allowing them to travel.  Auckland has beds and will break the 90 percent barrier in just over a week.  It’s about closing down the areas with the lowest vaccination rates and least hospital beds.  Which is why Christmas holidays are still under threat.  The places with the best beaches have the worst vax rates.  Gisborne, Coro

Another day with so much going on submerged under the tsunami of reckons that is Covid.  4pm today we find out the next phase.  It really is six of one and half a dozen of the other.  Pure health theory would be to wait until the magical 90 percent is reached.  But political reality is that compliance is waning. Unless you bring out the water cannons and the rubber bullets there will be an erosion of standards tomorrow whichever way the decision goes.  Fun fact.  Wales.  Population 3.2 million people had a 7-day average Covid case number of 2700 this past week.  10 people died.  6140 have died in the pandemic and they have 71% double jabbed.  Yet 70,000 screaming Welsh fans without masks gathered in the Principality Stadium and then flooded downtown Cardiff.  As a matter of comparison NZ is currently 75 per cent double jabbed and Auckland is 80% and yet shut down.  Meanwhile other stories are pushed aside.  NZ this weekend made a pledge to cut Carbon emissions in half by 2030.  Just 8 years. But it’s a game o

Well since I was on air last week things have devolved into a right royal mess.Last Monday, the Prime Minister kept Auckland in Level 3 but threw the city a bone.You're still locked down but you can have a little visit with another family or your yoga class.Her mistake was fooling with the settings.What Aucklanders heard was socialising is back on the menu boys. They heard Level 2 with restrictions. Not Level 3 with picnics. Give a city an inch, it'll take a mile and it did and lo and behold, case numbers are up and the spectre of Melbourne and Sydney is upon us.Those cities got into a mess by going into loose lockdowns which don't work. The Government last week lost their bottle and made exactly the same mistake.They've bowed to the pressure from business who are constantly advocating for opening up, meanwhile they've let down the population who believe that the suppression of Covid cases until we're as fully vaccinated as we can be is the best course for the country.In trying to make everybody happier they'

Well haven’t we worked ourselves up into a tis was. Frustration with 7 weeks of lockdown in Auckland is starting to boil over in public with claims that everything is failing and not working and will never work. We’re being left behind and there is no plan.  And it’s all this Labour government’s fault.There have been calls to give up the lockdown strategy. To open our borders and start to live again. But has New Zealand’s strategy against Covid really been such a failure. Melbourne today celebrates it’s 246th day in lockdown becoming the world’s most locked down city.  Meanwhile Sydney approaches their 100th day in a row.  A rough back of the envelope calculation shows that Auckland is around 120 days all up since March 2020. On Saturday Melbourne had 1176 cases and 3 deaths. On Saturday 10 people died in New South Wales.  No body died in Auckland and there were 33 cases. While Covid was not eliminated, it was mitigated by the lockdown strategy preventing hospitalisation that we could not cope with. Call me a

Is Covid-19 increasing the risk of leader burnout?NZ Herald Business reporter Jane Phare researched into the issue, and found that leaders are feeling even more overworked as a result of Covid, compared to 2019, and that leaders are caught in between their staff and their businesses.86 per cent of business leaders are feeling stressed, but Phare says they carry the burden of the entire company.Jane Phare joined Andrew Dickens.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here we are in yet another Monday of decision and it seems that the powerhouse of Auckland is going to remain in lockdown longer yet as the long tail of Covid seems peskily hard to stamp out.Another week, another billion down the drain. Once again last week I heard business advocates asking what's the plan to get out of this. Actually more accurately they want to know when. Well your guess is as good as mine. That's the funny thing about wars and pandemics and the weather. They don't follow arbitrary timelines as defined by humans. The thing is, there always has been a plan. The plan is get everybody vaccinated.  Now I know that’s not much of a plan but that’s the plan.  That’s the only option humans have.  Get vaccinated or lockdown every time hospitalisations overwhelm the health system. It is a great pity the plan did not include the phrase “as fast as possible”.  In the the historical reckoning that will be seen as the government’s greatest mistake.  But it is fair to say we’ve sped up. Businesses want da

It started on Friday.First I saw my neighbour struggling down the street on crutches. He'd had a knee operation at a private hospital.It was the last operation they did before lockdown he said. Then he added that the hospital was preparing itself for any overflow from the public system in the event of a surge of Covid cases. That's a worry I thought.Later that night the tweets and social media posts from friends in the health system started.Auckland and Counties Manukau were bracing for an increase in cases.Staff were being sought from Waikato DHB.Covid cases amongst the staff combined with a rise in hospitalisation was starting to stress the system.It was a reminder what all our battles against Covid are about. Preventing a meltdown in healthcare.We have 500 odd cases so far and 34 hospitalisations. Thats a conversion rate of around 7 per cent. Added to that the fact that our health system was at capacity even before an outbreak of Covid then we sit in a perilous place where the only option was lockdown. Or