Requiring people to have health insurance could take some pressure off our health system.

Chronic underfunding has put the public health system under strain, leading to stretched emergency departments, lengthy wait times, and difficulty accessing care.

The problems are compounded by a shortage of medical staff.

Financial Services Council CEO Kirk Hope told Kerre Woodham that insurers are incentivised to keep people healthy, as they have to pay out claims if they're not.

He says it might look like access to different types of medications to keep people out of the hospital, which creates a fence at the top of the cliff as opposed to an ambulance at the bottom.

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Coming out of a difficult winter period for hospitals, New Zealand’s nursing shortage has become an election issue.

New Zealand currently uses Care Capacity Demand Management, which calculates staffing requirements according to patient needs, to determine nursing numbers.

But Andrew Jull, Professor of Nursing at the University of Auckland, argues the evidence from NZ and overseas now makes a strong case for putting minimum nurse-to-patient ratios into law.

Jull told Kerre Woodham the advantage to having minimum nurse-to-patient ratios is it stops the government from stopping the flow of nurses, allowing for a consistency of health investment.

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National is promising to take away the right to silence in child murder cases if re-elected. Which might be an enormously popular move. Who doesn't want to see somebody held accountable for the deaths of so many babies and children in this country over the years? But I hope they've done their homework on how exactly they're going to force people to speak and what the unintended consequences might be.

I really, really don't want multi-million-dollar lawsuits being settled down the line. The party admits sure, the policy may breach the Bill of Rights Act, but says public sentiment towards bringing accountability and justice to unresolved cases outweighs the potential harms arising from it. Paul Goldsmith, National's justice spokesperson, said the party would amend the Crimes Act to make it an offence for a person to withhold information from police when they've been present at a location where a child aged 12 and under has been killed. The Bill of Rights Act and the Crimes Act would probably have to be tinkered with, but Prime Minister Chris Luxon says that's not an insurmountable problem.

"Yeah, we had the same thing when we banned the gang patches. That was against their rights, you know, what's called a BORA assessment. We've had that in the past as well with whether it's been, you know, alcohol testing and other things I think from memory way back in the day as well. So quite normal, you know, the Attorney General will look at the legislation, may decide it's inconsistent with the rights. That has happened, but equally in this case it's one I think most New Zealanders would sit there and go, yeah, that doesn't feel right and actually there are responsibilities, not just rights."

Absolutely. If you're going to remain silent, you have a responsibility to give information and if you decide to withhold it to cover your own desperate skin or those of your mates, then there will be consequences. Chief victims advisor Ruth Money says the change could lead to good outcomes and that defendants won't have an excuse to hide behind.

"It's giving them a reason to speak. At the moment they don't have a reason to speak. They can stay schtum and that baby and the wider family get no justice. You literally get away with killing a child."

Yeah, and that's that. Former defence lawyer and former Crown prosecutor John Munro was speaking to Mike Hosking Breakfast, but he says coercing people can disadvantage defendants.

"There's probably very few sort of situations where that's happened where somebody has maintained their right to silence and then somebody hasn't been charged or convicted. There's probably just as many people that have been under right to silence, had been forced under duress or have low IQ or can't, are very intimidated by the police. So there's just as many people on the other side of that coin. It's not very helpful I think to enter into emotive sort of comments."

But what do you do? I mean, for years we've stood by and watched people, families maintain their right to silence and child murderers go free. Perpetrators of unspeakable trauma on generations of children go free. And that doesn't sit right. I've heard people talking about a change to the right to silence interfering with justice. And that's so wrong. It will interfere with the legal system, sure, I concede that point, but not justice. Justice is when somebody is held accountable for the death of a baby and the trauma to a household of children. The legal system will be impacted if there's change, but changes to the legal system might allow for justice to finally be served.

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The manager of a popular West Auckland campground is claiming a win with its short-term future being saved.

The Waitakere Ranges Local Board will again let people camp overnight at Piha Domain, despite the area being a high flood hazard environment.

It has updated its monitoring and warning systems, occupancy restrictions, evacuation procedures and reporting requirements - with a long-term plan being decided next year.

Fiona Anderson told Kerre Woodham the community has pulled together to make this happen.

She says the phone has been ringing constantly this morning, and the bookings are now flooding in.

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Sweet mercy. I don't know about you, but the sight of Green and Te Pāti Māori MPs posturing and posing with members of the Mongrel Mob brought back very bad memories of the bad old days. Remember when gang members were given funding for dubious rehab programs? And when they took over the roads and the streets as they were going to tangihanga or just, you know, going from point A to point B and wanted to put on a show?

Remember when the Mongrel Mob Kingdom tried to tell New Zealanders, "Hey, look, we're just ordinary everyday members of society who want the best for our kids and our families just like you," who got Don Brash on board with their education trust, and had their own media liaison person, Louise, who would ring me almost on the daily for a while and harangue me for my anti-gang sentiments? This is the same Mongrel Mob Kingdom that said, "Hey, we're not like the other Mongrel Mob. I mean, we might have it in our name, but we're anti-drugs." Bit awks then when the 2IC of the Mongrel Mob Kingdom was jailed for 10 years in 2023 for importing, distributing, and supplying meth and the date rape drug. Cool story, guys. Some of somebody believed it.

One of the best things about the gang patch ban is that it's stopped the gang members overtly recruiting in my neighbourhood. They used to park up on sunny days on their gleaming bikes on the patch of grass next to the roundabout, and the local kids would ooh, aah around the bikes while these men swaggered and punked around. Now the recruiting is not quite so obvious and not quite so overt, not so bloody shamelessly in the face of the neighbourhood. I couldn't agree more with Casey Costello when she condemned the MPs for their ill-advised photo op.

"It was beyond despicable. They have done more damage for our fight against organised crime than I think they even realise. You know, these are trying to legitimise themselves and they've just played into their hand and told young people, "Oh, look at these cool guys." Just pathetic. If they want to be treated legitimate, take their damn patches off and meet as individuals. Don't try and come as a collective entity as if you're representing some legitimate business. And I wouldn't allow them into my office. I wouldn't allow them into I wouldn't meet with them full stop. Take your patches off and be treated as individuals."

Absolutely. Could not agree with her more. And I accept that there are people within gangs who are hardworking, productive members of society. I don't know if you remember Paul who rang us from Kawerau around home detention. People are complicated. The world is not binary. But when you wear that patch, you have to accept that people will judge you on that patch. They've worked very, very hard to build up a reputation around the patch so that as soon as you see it, you know what it stands for. They want to make you fearful. That's the point. And the reason you do feel fearful when you see it is that they associate it with so many violent crimes and drug dealing. It's like working at ZB a bit. You know, there are people who think that everyone who works at ZB is a foaming right-wing racist. They've never listened to any of the shows, but because ZB has been branded that, that's what people believe. And the truth's a little bit more nuanced than that, I hope.

I think Casey Costello is right. I mean, individuals, absolutely fine. Take off the patch, have a discussion, cool. But these guys look like 16 year olds posing with the gang members inside the pad. "Ooh, look at us flirting with danger. Oh my god, we're just so cool. Just so cool." No, you're not cool. Looks pathetic. And it gives validation to a criminal organisation that that organisation has not earned.

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Christopher Luxon says National's delivered a lot of what it wanted to this term.

While taking talkback with Kerre Woodham, a supporter asked why he allowed ACT and New Zealand First to veto National promises after the 2023 election.

She pointed out although Luxon had expressed support for capping vape stores at 600, in Coalition negotiations he handed NZ First responsibility for regulation of smoking and cessation tools.

Luxon says voters decided the election, and National had to make that work.

He says you have to make trade offs, but the minor parties had to sign up to the National Party agenda.

Another supporter told Luxon he's foolish to rule out working with the Opportunity Party, saying he owes it to New Zealanders to at least have a conversation if Qiulae Wong’s party holds the balance of power.

Luxon responded with a well-worn answer saying he opposed Opportunity’s land tax policy, despite Wong previously saying it would be worth considering accepting no tax reform next term if it meant forming a government with other policy gains.

“Taxing New Zealanders is just the wrong thing at the moment.”

The caller encouraged the National leader to reconsider, saying they don't have to agree with the minor party's policies, but closing the door from the get-go is foolish if they want to get into power.

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