Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald

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Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.It’s all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking.If it’s news you’re after, backing John is the combined power of the Newstalk ZB and New Zealand Herald news teams. Meaning when it comes to covering breaking news – you will not beat local radio.With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector.Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings 9am-12pm with John MacDonald on 100.1FM and iHeartRadio.

  1. 16h ago

    John MacDonald: This was Hipkins' chance to sell the sizzle

    Chris Hipkins spent two hours with Mike Hosking this morning and did nothing to convince me to vote Labour. He’s had a political week from hell. Just when he probably thought Labour’s gang connections were so 2023, MPs and candidates from Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have been caught hanging out with gang members during the current campaign. Mike asked him if it had blown his chances. Not surprisingly, he said it hadn’t, saying he had handled the situation “decisively”. He would say that, of course. But I agree with him. Sort of. I don’t think it’s going to be enough to put people off voting Labour if they had already been thinking of voting for Labour. But anyone undecided may be thinking twice. Especially given the defiant way the Greens and Te Pāti Māori have dealt with it. And given the reputation Labour had last time it was in Government, rightly or wrongly, that it was sympathetic to gangs. Which is why the biggest job for Chris Hipkins is to convince voters that Labour is worth another shot. Hipkins said this morning that it is. Because he’s not going to over-promise, acknowledging that that’s what Labour did last term, and isn’t going to bite off more than the party can chew. And good on him for admitting that. I also think that’s something every Government can be accused of. But that, right there, is also the problem with Chris Hipkins and Labour this election. It’s not selling the sizzle. None of the parties are, to be fair. But this morning was Chris Hipkins’ chance to do it. But all he told us was that his top priority, if he forms the next Government, is to stay on top of the workload. Would you ever have heard that kind of talk from Barack Obama or John F. Kennedy? Or, even, David Lange? He was never going to get away with Covid not coming up for discussion. He said he had fully co-operated with the inquiry into the Covid response. Saying several times that he did actually turn up to the inquiry. It’s just that the cameras weren’t necessarily there. And he said he didn’t think he could have done any more. Yes, he did. The question now, though, is whether Hipkins has done enough to convince you that Labour is worth your vote. He hasn’t convinced me. What about you? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  2. 17h ago

    Caroline Harvie-Teare: Venues Ōtautahi CEO on the sweltering 32-degree weekend at One NZ Stadium

    The operator of One New Zealand Stadium admits work needs to be done to keep guests cool when events are held on warmer days. Concerns were raised after areas of the roofed stadium reached 32 degrees over the long weekend, despite the temperature outdoors being in the mid-twenties. Venues Ōtautahi CEO Caroline Harvie-Teare denied there's any design flaws with the 656-million-dollar stadium, and told Newstalk ZB's Canterbury Mornings her team is looking at ways to make the stadium experience cooler for fans. "Maybe we do need to look at certain times of the day which we make the venue unavailable, you know, if it is going to be warmer, we can't be playing sport in the daytime." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  3. 4d ago

    Opportunity Leader Qiulae Wong on what her party can offer Christchurch voters

    Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong joined John MacDonald to discuss her party's chances of entering Parliament and potentially holding the balance of power after the election. They also discussed Opportunity’s flagship policies, potential coalition negotiations as Christopher Luxon continues to rule her party out, and what the party can offer Christchurch voters. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  4. 4d ago

    Election 2026: Dominik Yanzick and Tracy Summerfield on the race to win Wigram

    This week's Politics Friday Election Special focused on the Wigram electorate. The candidates, Labour's Dominik Yanzick and National's Tracy Summerfield made their pitch to become the next local MP. They discussed their backgrounds before entering politics and outlined how they would tackle the key issues facing the newly redrawn Wigram electorate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  5. 4d ago

    John MacDonald: Taking on burglars is a recipe for disaster

    There are two types of people in the world. There are the ones who would run a mile if someone was breaking into their house. And there are the ones who would stick around and take them on. My house, my castle. All of that. They’re the ones NZ First is trying to appeal to with its promise to look into strengthening self-defence laws. So people can defend themselves and their property without fear of prosecution. It’s part of the party’s overall law & order policy for next month’s election. Which includes things such as ‘life means life’ prison sentences. But it’s the self-defence bit that I think this is very dangerous. Of the two types of people I mentioned before, I’m somewhere in the middle. I know right now that if someone was breaking into my place, generally, I’d get out of there. But if any members of my family were being threatened, then, of course, I would stick around and do whatever I needed to do or could do to protect them. Nevertheless, I’m not a fan of what Winston Peters wants to do. Pretty much for the same reason I’m against the change to the citizens arrest laws. By making it easier for people to carry out a citizens arrest, we are putting people at risk of getting injured or worse when they take on an offender. The exact same thing if we go changing the self-defence laws, that will only lead to people putting themselves in very dangerous situations. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t give two hoots about the crims getting injured. It’s the self-defenders that NZ First is going into bat for, that I’m concerned about. Because you think about your average burglar or home invader. What’s their motivation? You can pretty much guarantee that a lot, if not most, of the people who break into other people’s houses are doing it to support a drug habit. Which means the only thing they care about is doing whatever they can do or need to do to get their next hit. How do you think they’re going to react if the person living in the house they’re breaking into takes them on? They’re not going to take kindly to it. Because all they care about is the drugs. What’s more, even with the self-defence laws as they stand at the moment, we have people taking things too far. Remember the case of the farmer who cut off the finger of a teenager who broke into his property? Remember too that there have been cases where homeowners have taken burglars on and have come off second best. Why would we ever consider encouraging that sort of carry-on? Which is exactly what NZ First wants to do. It might sound good to some. But I think it would be a very dangerous move. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  6. 5d ago

    John MacDonald: Why is changing his mind so difficult for Luxon?

    Christopher Luxon’s ongoing refusal to work with The Opportunity Party is looking sillier by the day. Maybe it’s reached peak-silliness with this new poll out today, which shows that Luxon’s own supporters think he’s doing the wrong thing. As well as nearly 50 percent of business leaders who took part in the NZ Herald’s Mood of the Boardroom survey. The Freshwater Strategy poll found that 57 percent of National voters want him to change his position. And just 35 percent of his supporters want him stick to his position, even if it means costing National the election. How pig-headed is that? But then if those 35 percent are seeing their man being so pig-headed, we probably shouldn’t be surprised that they are too. But the majority of National voters, according to this new poll, think that Luxon is doing the wrong thing. I think he is too. I don’t give two hoots about his political career. But I think, at the very least, he should be saying that he’ll let the voters decide who they want him to work with. I think he should go further than that and go whole hog and rule-in Opportunity. Because it’s not just National voters talking to the polling companies who want him to have a re-think. When he was at an event in Wigram, a National voter was telling him straight that he was doing the wrong thing ruling-out Opportunity. Yesterday, he was having his ear chewed again at a cowshed meeting with farmers. Iain Wright was one of the local farmers and he was saying he wanted Luxon to come out and say that he would work with Opportunity, to avoid National ending up in opposition. He said if Luxon doesn’t change his tune, he sees Opportunity forming a government with the left. And that’s the last thing he wants. Remember, though, that Christopher Luxon is the guy who was asked during one of the leaders debates to say when he’d last changed his mind on something. And he said he couldn’t remember. That’s the kind of attitude that I bet has his National colleagues at their wits end. He’ll be getting under the skin of his coalition partners too. Especially, when they see the latest NZ Herald poll of polls saying that the likelihood of Labour, the Green Party and the Opportunity Party being able to form the next government is almost as likely as the current coalition being re-elected. What’s more, this new poll doesn’t just show that the majority of National voters think he’s doing the wrong thing. Many ACT and NZ First voters do too. In the same poll out today, 56 percent of ACT voters and 51 percent of NZ First voters spoken to said they were in favour of the door being opened to Opportunity, as well. Because they can see it all going pear-shaped for them and seeing their parties out in the cold come the day after the election. All because the leader of the National Party can’t see that he’s boxing himself into a corner. And can’t bring himself to change his mind. But what good is a mind, Christopher, if you can’t change it? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  7. 5d ago

    Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick on gangs, their fiscal plan, & campaigning in Christchurch

    Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick joined John MacDonald to chat about the current campaign. They discussed the party's view on gangs, their incoming fiscal plan, and why the party believe they can turn the Christchurch Central electorate green. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

  8. 5d ago

    Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger on commuter rail, hospital staff car parks, rates cap warnings

    Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger says he is sceptical of modelling which claims councils could face billions of dollars in funding shortfalls if they proceed with the Government's proposed 4% rates cap from 2027. Speaking to Canterbury Mornings, Mauger said his council is constantly looking at cheaper ways of competing projects. "We're not having any reductions in the levels of service." The modelling commissioned by the Public Service Association suggests Greater Christchurch could see revenue reductions of between $80 million and $458 million over a seven-year period from 2027. Mauger also discussed his eagerness to build a commuter rail platform in the city, the councils work to open up car parks for hospital workers at Parakiore, and how the city is preparing to capitalise on the 2032 Brisbane Olympic games. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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About

Every weekday join the new voice of local issues on Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald, 9am-12pm weekdays.It’s all about the conversation with John, as he gets right into the things that get our community talking.If it’s news you’re after, backing John is the combined power of the Newstalk ZB and New Zealand Herald news teams. Meaning when it comes to covering breaking news – you will not beat local radio.With two decades experience in communications based in Christchurch, John also has a deep understanding of and connections to the Christchurch and Canterbury commercial sector.Newstalk ZB Canterbury Mornings 9am-12pm with John MacDonald on 100.1FM and iHeartRadio.

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