kate hawkesby

I think we’ve reached peak woke, or at least I hope we have... who would know?

But I think we’ve reached it when I see that in China now, they’re looking at banning clothes that hurt people’s feelings. You heard that right.

CNN reported that, ‘China’s legislature has proposed changes to a law that if approved would allow authorities to fine and detain people who wear clothes that “hurt the nation’s feelings”.’ 

This to be honest is probably less about wokeism and more about patriotism and control, and it did of course set off a chain of concerns over freedom of expression. But how on earth do you define clothes that hurt people’s feelings? I mean I find Crocs offensive, should they ban those? The mom jean I’m not a big fan of, they’re everywhere. Jorts... horrific, yet back in fashion. As are wedge jandal heels. I mean it’s a minefield of offensive clothing out there already as far as I’m concerned. 

But who are the arbiters of this offensive fashion? Well turns out China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee, wants to ban any garment that is ‘detrimental to the spirit of the Chinese nation.’ It’s a draft amendment proposed for consideration. The proposed amendment's rules would alter the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, ‘which gives Police power to detain suspects for weeks’, or fine them the equivalent of about a thousand NZ dollars. It’s been up for consultation, and you can just imagine the push back.

CNN reported that, ‘several legal scholars questioned the implicit vagaries of the proposed amendment, and absence of specific guidelines.’ Many called it an overreach. I would have thought the key thing would be a definition of what is construed offensive, and the fact this was missing gives me pause that it will go anywhere. But these days you never know.

China’s also cracked down on tattoos and ‘artists with effeminate styles’... whatever that means. But you surely can’t enforce a law as vague as ‘offensive clothing’ without being specific about what that is. One social media user questioned whether suits would be deemed offensive, given they’re ‘the embodiment of Western Capitalism’ as he put it. So, the proposed law, which many have described as ‘excessive and absurd’ could lead to abuse by officials in terms of what constitutes offence. Hence, it’s problematic.

So a lot of this is obviously about control but the bit that leads me back to whether it’s wokeism is the fact that it’s about ‘hurt feelings’. Hurting feelings —or not as the case may be— has become such an acceptable catch phrase it’s now getting used as an excuse to enforce laws.A couple of months ago people who wore ‘rainbow print clothing were denied entry to a Taiwanese concert in Beijing..’ leading one social commentator to ask: ‘When did the feelings and spirit of the Chinese nation become so fragile?’

And it’s not just China, everywhere seems fragile these days. I’m with Ricky Gervais, look, when times are weird, we have to turn to the great oracle Ricky Gervais. He famously said, ‘how arrogant are you, to think you can go through life without anyone ever saying anything you don’t agree with or like? Just because you’re offended, doesn’t mean you’re right.’ He’s bang on. 

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It’s Halloween tonight, so stand by for trick or treaters coming to a doorbell near you. 

Although weather in many parts of the country may keep little trick or treaters at bay, it probably won’t deter teenagers. We’ve had a mixed run of approaches to Halloween over the years. When the kids were really little, they would find some of the costumes frightening and we wondered the merits of tiny children roaming the streets at what should be bath and bedtime, to ask for lollies from strangers. It didn’t feel right so we said no. 

Mean parents.  

Later on, as they got a bit older and more savvy that this could involve a whole bunch of stuff usually off limits - lollies, late nights, roaming the streets in costume with mates... they persuaded us the other way. But we contained it. Co-ordinated with neighbours, organised a small early trick or treat session, with neighbours knowing in advance and happy to participate, and with rules around how much sugar could really be consumed. Spoiler alert - not much.  

Mean parents strike again.  

But 5 kids is a lot to wrangle and get costumes on and roam around with, and there was no way when they were little that we’d let them do that on their own. So there was a small window where we would decorate the letterbox and fence, do the costumes, have their mates over, but it never felt authentically a tradition we could get behind. It just felt super American, cheesey, and over the top, not to mention unhealthy. Lollies from strangers? All that sugar? Yuk - seemed wrong on so many levels.  

Once they got older - I mean like teenager stage, they wanted to go out on their own, their costumes got increasingly questionable, their motive seemed less sweet treats and more just hanging with mates. I have just never thought teenagers patrolling the streets with Scream masks on threatening to throw eggs at people’s houses is a particularly good look. Still don’t.  

But I’m surprised at how much it’s caught on here, how big it seems these days in this country. People go all out – the parties are plentiful, the dress ups extravagant, the night seems to last a lot longer than one night. Many houses are already decorated, I see skeletons dangling from trees in people’s front yards, cobwebs adorning letterboxes and gates, the treats have been in supermarket aisles for a while now.  

No, we’re not quite at America levels of Halloween obsession, but in some places it feels intense. I don’t mind the groups of toddlers out walking with Mum or Dad in an organised fashion, early, and causing no harm. But I do feel for those who live alone or are sick or don’t want to be bothered and have to contend with noisy teenagers late at night banging on their doors for something they surely should have grown out of by now.  

In fact, in the US there's debate at the moment as to whether trick or treating should have an age limit. In some cities there, it's limited to 12 years old or younger only due to too many teenagers wreaking havoc. But no sooner do we have Halloween, than Guy Fawkes is here. A mere 5 days later we’ve got crackers and cherry bombs to deal with. That’s a tough night for the animals more than the humans I reckon.  

But if we can get past monster costumes, lollies, and fireworks season, then next stop's Christmas. Next we’ll be welcoming Santa... can you believe it?  

Where’s the year gone? 

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I want to thank Auckland airport shareholders for being vocal on the state of Auckland airport. 

They got grumpy and got into it with the airport at the annual meeting this week. And it's not before time. Issues with delays, queues, bags, lack of service, lack of staff, have been going on far too long and too many travellers have already suffered needlessly.  

The worst time I think was when the airport CEO came out and said 'it's complex'. Well, that's running an airport, isn't it? Of course it's complex, yet airports all over the world, in countries all over the world, way busier and bigger than us manage to do it every day. So why can't we?  

So frustrated shareholders apparently grilled the airport over all the problems, for which the airport and biosecurity officials apologised. But is an apology enough? I'd say no - what we need is action, we need it turned around, we need it fixed. It was reported that 'one shareholder hit out at the airport's inconsistency in service.' They'd called the airport 'an absolute zoo'. Another called it 'an absolute shambles,' and the lack of help, 'disgusting'.  

But in acknowledging the problems and saying they're unacceptable and apologising for them, the airport's still not actually fixing them, are they? I notice whenever we challenge the airport on all these issues and their lack of any decent service, they all run for the hills pointing the finger at each other. 'Oh it's not us it's them. It's not customs, it's bio security, it's not baggage, it's the bridge guys, it's not our fault it's the airlines fault.'  

And yes there are a lot of moving parts - airlines, ground handlers, customs, bio security, and so on... but why can't they cohesively all be overseen in a way that functions? It's not like we haven't had a functioning airport before, so why can't we have it again? What's wrong? What's changed? No one seems to want to be honest enough to say what it is - or bother pinpointing what the problem is.  

I'd hazard a guess it's lack of staff, lack of qualified or decent staff, lack of systems, lack of good management. All of those things can be fixed, but to do that you have to be honest about identifying the problems, and you have to want to fix them. Running around pointing fingers blaming different departments is not going to cut it. 

And as for the airport blaming flight delays, I mean that's just BS quite frankly. Flight delays are nothing new. Airports have dealt with flight delays for as long as planes have been flying. They say their rosters can't cope if the flight changes, then hire more people. Work the rosters in a less regimented fashion. Stop operating on some rigid intransigent unionised schedule. Be flexible - work with all the moving parts you've got. You can't argue it's a place of so many moving parts and then fix it with rigid rostering.  

So I'm not sure how this gets sorted if the powers that be won't actually work with what the problems really are, and try to address them honestly, and with real intent to actually make it better. And maybe that's the crux of it - are the 'powers that be' actually just the wrong people for the job? 

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Some in the media learned the lessons of Cyclone Gabrielle and the Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods, just as the emergency management authorities have done - and they made a concerted effort to take this week’s weather warnings seriously. Others, not so much.

Newstalk ZB's Kate Hawkesby joined from London to give an update on the Coronation.

She says it’s all go, with Police on every street corner and traffic at a stand-still with roads closed in preparation.

LISTEN ABOVE

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Newstalk ZB Early Edition host Kate Hawkesby joins Nick Mills live from London ahead of Prince Charles' coronation. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

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Cyclone Gabrielle buried homes and took lives, including those of rescuers, this week. But as it bore down on the country, front-rank hosts at Newstalk ZB played down the danger it posed and complained about a day of school closures.

Midweek Mediawatch - Mediawatch's weekly catch-up with Nights. Hayden Donnell talks to Susana Lei'ataua about some good journalism - and some ill-advised commentary - on Cyclone Gabrielle. And in other news: a truancy announcement that didn't turn up - and the end of the show formerly known as Police Ten-7 / Ten-7 Aotearoa - and claims it got ‘cancelled.’

I’m pleased that the woeful turnout for the local body elections still at least saw change.

There is a mood for change – a strong one it would seem, and the results should be a wake-up call to anyone left in the Beehive still not believing that people are sick to the back teeth of the establishment.

We are sick of the status quo, we are sick of where we’re at. It was, as one political commentator pointed out, “a bloodbath” for the left.

It’s an early shot across the bow for what we might see come election year next year. The country basically threw out incumbents, the whole country pretty much, bar Wellington, swung to the right.

Auckland for the first time in a decade voted in a right-wing Mayor. What I like about that is he pulls no punches. When the head of Auckland Transport immediately resigned on the back of his win, Wayne Brown's response was "the whole board should follow suit."

This is refreshing. There'll be few Aucklanders who disagree with the chaotic shambles that is Auckland Transport, so he’s off to a good start. And for all the lefties bemoaning the fact he’s white – that in and of itself is racist, the colour of someone’s skin should never be a reason to vote for them, either way.

And for all those bemoaning his age – it seems people actually want grown-ups in charge. The idealogues have been told to sit down.

The only place that went further left was Wellington – electing Greenie Tory Whanau, who said her city better get prepared for disruption and lots of road cones. So she sounds fun.

It’s further proof of the bubble Wellington exists in. It's in its own special echo chamber and much of the reason the Government is so delusional and out of touch with the rest of the country.

Even Dunedin voted in a mayor who campaigned on fewer cycle ways and more car parking, an abhorrent concept to the lefties, but clearly immensely popular with everyone else.

Faith in the direction of this country is dire. We’ve watched our cities get wrecked by public transport theorists, and anti-car warriors.

Crime, which is a national issue, is felt keenly in our local suburbs with ram-raided dairies and liquor shops boarded up.

The country’s a mess. People have had a gutsful.

Arguably no city’s been more wrecked than Rotorua. An absolute travesty that former mayor and Labour Party stalwart Steve Chadwick stood by and just let happen.

So the result I’m most pleased about actually is Tania Tapsell going in there. She deserves it. She makes sense, she’s smart. Every time we've had her on this show she’s onto it, prompt, keen, hardworking and absolutely passionate about her city – which is all you can ask for in a mayor.

It seems those connected to Labour in any way got shown the door - even the candidates personally endorsed by the Prime Minister, which speaks volumes about her brand these days.

So I reckon a great result. Good to see such a movement for change. There's a rejection of the establishment. You watch, Three Waters will be next to go.

I think what the weekend results have told us, is that this Government is on notice.

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A host of new mayors and councillors now make up the new local body politics scene - not that the majority of you might have known that.

Or care.

All the main cities, bar Hamilton, have a new mayor - Wayne Brown in Auckland, Tory Whanau in Wellington, Phil Mauger in Christchurch and Jules Radich in Dunedin.

But despite more than a 40% mayoral turnover rate we didn't get out there and vote - the final turnout is expected to be 38-39%.

We've got to do something - Local Government NZ President Stuart Crosby joined Kate Hawkesby to talk about the turnout and the disconnect.

He said they need an independent review. 

"The system is broken and we need to do something about it."

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New Zealand’s brand value shot up 13% from 2021, according to global rankings released overnight. Brand Finance Nation brands valued New Zealand’s national brand at US$248 billion in 2022, an increase of US$29 billion on the prior year.

The annual Nation Brands Report is a study into the world’s top 100 nation brands ranked by their value and strength. It has been providing key benchmarks for diplomats, tourism boards, trade agencies, geographical indication brands, nation brand managers and consultants for nearly two decades.

This rise is one of the largest of any country, with brand New Zealand’s ranking moving up three places to become the 39th most valuable. While the covid-19 pandemic hit many other countries’ national brands hard, New Zealand’s brand value rose 11% from a pre-pandemic valuation.

The rankings also place New Zealand at number 13 (of 100 countries) on the nation brand strength leader-board, which combines statistics and perceptions research.

Brand strength is calculated based on investment in nation brand (25% weighting), public perception of nation brand (50% weighting), and performance of nation brand (25% weighting).

David Downs, Chief Executive of the Government agency responsible for New Zealand’s nation branding, NZ Story Group, says the brand value increase further recognises the country’s outstanding pandemic response. “Effective virus containment paved the way for economic growth, particularly now that our borders have reopened. To add a bit of perspective, Brand New Zealand is now worth more than McDonald’s.”

New Zealand’s high brand strength score is underpinned by a high sub-score of 85.2 for public perception, ranking 8th in this sub-category. Downs was pleased with this recognition, noting that “this indicates a strong preference for the New Zealand brand both overseas and domestically.”

“The world associates brand New Zealand with integrity, ingenuity, care, and respect. As our exporters gear up to meet renewed global demand and our tourism and education sectors welcome the return of overseas visitors and students, confirmation of this ranking further strengthens the message that New Zealand is well and truly open for business.”

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New Zealand’s brand value shot up 13% from 2021, according to global rankings released overnight. Brand Finance Nation brands valued New Zealand’s national brand at US$248 billion in 2022, an increase of US$29 billion on the prior year.

The annual Nation Brands Report is a study into the world’s top 100 nation brands ranked by their value and strength. It has been providing key benchmarks for diplomats, tourism boards, trade agencies, geographical indication brands, nation brand managers and consultants for nearly two decades.

This rise is one of the largest of any country, with brand New Zealand’s ranking moving up three places to become the 39th most valuable. While the covid-19 pandemic hit many other countries’ national brands hard, New Zealand’s brand value rose 11% from a pre-pandemic valuation.

The rankings also place New Zealand at number 13 (of 100 countries) on the nation brand strength leader-board, which combines statistics and perceptions research.

Brand strength is calculated based on investment in nation brand (25% weighting), public perception of nation brand (50% weighting), and performance of nation brand (25% weighting).

David Downs, Chief Executive of the Government agency responsible for New Zealand’s nation branding, NZ Story Group, says the brand value increase further recognises the country’s outstanding pandemic response. “Effective virus containment paved the way for economic growth, particularly now that our borders have reopened. To add a bit of perspective, Brand New Zealand is now worth more than McDonald’s.”

New Zealand’s high brand strength score is underpinned by a high sub-score of 85.2 for public perception, ranking 8th in this sub-category. Downs was pleased with this recognition, noting that “this indicates a strong preference for the New Zealand brand both overseas and domestically.”

“The world associates brand New Zealand with integrity, ingenuity, care, and respect. As our exporters gear up to meet renewed global demand and our tourism and education sectors welcome the return of overseas visitors and students, confirmation of this ranking further strengthens the message that New Zealand is well and truly open for business.”

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In this week's Midweek Mediawatch, Hayden Donnell talks to Bryan Crump about the lessons ZB's Kate Hawkesby learned from a bad bout of Covid - and National leader Christopher Luxon squirming under the media spotlight following the US Supreme Court's decision on abortion.

A fresh analysis of Covid misinformation says it intensified after Delta arrived - and leading public figures and officials have “received specific targeting and abuse” online. But you don't have go down any digital rabbit holes for denigration of the experts. There's plenty of on top-rating talk radio too. . .

Analysis: Our epidemiologists and Covid modellers have faced an increasingly bitter series of barbs from commentators and columnists over the last month, and it's making their often thankless task even harder.