Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald
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.
Episodes
Is it ever-so-slightly ironic that, on the same day that the first highway in the South Island had its speed limit increased to 110 kph, we had the Government announce that it wants to make it easier for people to get their driver’s licence?
The highway is the main drag that runs between Christchurch and Rolleston. And the proposed driver licence changes are a range of things to make it easier and quicker for someone to get t...
The Treaty Principles Bill is history. Done and dusted. But ACT leader David Seymour, who came up with the bill in the first place, has no regrets.
And it’s not done and dusted, as far as he’s concerned.
He could bring it back again. But I think what he’s most likely to do is make it a campaign issue in next year’s general election, or try to get a more explicit equality provision in the Bill of Rights Act. &nbs...
There's a lack of enthusiasm for a ferry service between Wellington and Lyttelton.
According to Local Democracy Reporting, Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon believes the Government should consider reinstating the service, which ran from 1895 to 1976.
National Party's Vanessa Weenink told John MacDonald the idea is harking back to the old days.
She says she’s unsure what the business case would be, and is unsure if it w...
There's a lack of enthusiasm for a ferry service between Wellington and Lyttelton.
According to Local Democracy Reporting, Waimakariri Mayor Dan Gordon believes the Government should consider reinstating the service, which ran from 1895 to 1976.
National Party's Vanessa Weenink told John MacDonald the idea is harking back to the old days.
She says she’s unsure what the business case would be, and is unsure if it w...
I saw a brilliant cartoon the other day which had America’s founding fathers sitting around a table writing up the country’s constitution - and they had agreed that the US wouldn’t have a king, but they were thinking about having a drama queen instead.
And after what we saw overnight, I think it would be pretty hard to argue that the current US president is anything but a drama queen. He’s also an economic vandal.
Don...
John MacDonald was joined today by Mayor Phil Mauger.
They discussed the potential for Christchurch to be home to the delayed Erebus Disaster memorial – is Christchurch an appropriate home?
The central city has been overrun by birds and their droppings, does the Council have a plan to deal with the mess? And what measures will the council take regarding the new build’s in the city’s east, given the recent findings that...
If the MP for Ilam, Hamish Campbell, thinks he’s going to get away with not saying anything more about his involvement with this underground religious group, then he’s dreaming.
It doesn’t have an official name, but it’s known as the “Two By Twos” and it’s being investigated by the FBI and the police for child abuse.
One of its former ministers here in New Zealand has admitted 55 child sex abuse charges over three dec...
It would be great if we didn’t have to spend $12 billion on our defence force. But we do, and I’m good with it.
To be honest though, while we’d known the Government had some sort of plan to increase defence spending, I was still blown away a bit by the scale of it when the announcement came through.
So, $12 billion over the next four years. There’ll be new helicopters, more missiles, autonomous vessels, th...
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Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese reckons people in Australia are going to feel dumped-on by the United States after yesterday’s trade tariffs announcement. And he thinks that Australians will feel differently about Australia's relationship with America.
Like us, imports into the United States from Australia are going to be hit with a 10% tariff.
And Albanese —who is on the campaign trail— is talking tough, ...
John MacDonald was joined in studio by Vanessa Weenink and Reuben Davidson to delve into some of the biggest political stories of the week.
The US President has rolled out tariffs of at least 10% on almost all imported goods – what will this mean for our export market?
Is the need for housing in Canterbury so great that intensification is inevitable? And will the supermarket announcement make a tangible difference for Kiwis a...
We were all standing up and cheering the Christchurch City Council three years ago, when it flipped the bird at the Government over housing intensification. Because there was no way we were going to agree to three, three-story houses being built on one section.
But I’ve changed my thinking.
Eventually, the city council kind-of pulled its head in. But it’s still dragging the chain a bit and wants more time before agree...
The Prime Minister has lived up to his talk of being a great negotiator, saying “thanks but no thanks” to Team New Zealand.
Because a great negotiator is always prepared to walk away if the negotiations aren’t going their way, and that’s what the Government has done. Telling Grant Dalton and Team NZ that putting $75 million of taxpayer money into hosting the next America’s Cup would be a nice-to-have, not a must-have. ...
Four more years. That's how long we’re going to have to wait for KiwiRail's new interisland ferries. But I reckon it will turn out being longer than that.
The Government says it will be December 2029. By then, we will have had two elections.
But I don’t think it will happen in that timeframe, because I listened this morning to someone who knows a bit about this. Mark Thompson’s his name. He was in charge of the Govern...
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Some people think a 90-day trial for new workers is tough, but what about a two-day trial? Which is what’s happened with Liam Lawson.
And like his Red Bull teammate, world champion Max Verstappen, I think it stinks. Verstappen thinks Lawson should have been given more than two races to prove himself, and I couldn’t agree more.
Red Bull are dressing it up, saying that they’re dumping Lawson as part of their “duty of ca...
National’s Matt Doocey and Labour’s Megan Woods joined John MacDonald in studio to discuss some of the biggest political stories of the week.
Green MP Tamatha Paul has been under fire for her comments about beat police – does their presence really make people feel less safe? And how do her comments bode for Labour, given they’re potentially coalition partners?
Is it fair the new Christchurch stadium could have a levy f...
I’m sure you’ll tell me if you think I’m stuck in the past, but I reckon that with the police now being expected to do roadside drug tests —as well as everything else— I think we should bring back the old MOT. The old traffic cops.
Officially, it was known as the traffic safety service, but we all knew it as the MOT.
And, yes, I know the police are struggling as it is to get the 500 new cops by the end of the ye...
British comedian Ben Elton is returning to Christchurch this May, in what will be his final show in his Authentic Stupidity tour.
He joined John MacDonald for a chat about his outlook on life after years of writing comedy and how he feels about performing in Christchurch – plus, an exclusive reveal about his upcoming autobiography.
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Christchurch's Mayor says he was shocked by the $400 thousand bill to restore Cathedral Square's Chalice.
The City Council's investigating ways to reduce the cost for work, including a complete re-paint and corrosion repairs.
It's the first maintenance work to the Chalice since installation in 2001.
Phil Mauger told John MacDonald options include touching up the Chalice leaves but leaving the actual structure as-i...
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