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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

news politics

All Episodes

8:05

Phil Mauger: Christchurch Mayor on the speed limit...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/21

There's consultation on speed limits around Christchurch's Te Kaha stadium - once again. New Government rules are forcing the City Council to ask for public feedback for a second time. A 30 kilometre-an-hour limit was approved for multiple surrounding streets but can no longer be implemented because of the changes. Mayor Phil Mauger told Canterbury mornings although this feels like over-consulting, this needs to be right to ensure public safety. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

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5:03

John MacDonald: Unsafe health workers need more than...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/21

Let’s call it and say that workers going to and from Christchurch Hospital at night-time deserve better. This is after what’s being described as a “very violent” assault on a staff member heading home after work last weekend. It’s understood the woman had been on a shift at the birthing centre, on Antigua Street. What we know at this point is that security around the hospital’s birthing unit has been bolstered and, as a temporary measure, security escorts are being provided for staff, student

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5:11

John MacDonald: $600M for rail is a good start, but...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/20

In an ideal world, I would love us to have more trains. In an ideal world, I think it would be great if all our big cities had rail passenger services. Not just Auckland and Wellington that Transport Minister Chris Bishop was talking about when he announced this morning that there’s $600 million in this week’s Budget going into rail. I won’t go all scratched record on it and start asking where the money is for the Greater Christchurch area, but I would love to see money going into commuter rail

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5:56

John MacDonald: Why no more after-hours funding for...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/19

Here’s a story someone told me this morning about what happened within the last six-or-so weeks, when a Christchurch woman took her teenage daughter to the after-hours surgery. I’m telling you this because the Government has announced that there’s going to be increased funding in Thursday’s budget for after-hours medical care. Which is great. I’m not going to bag the Government for that. And the fact that people in rural areas are going to get better access to urgent healthcare is great. But there’s

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6:31

John MacDonald: Gun salutes and c-bombs don't belong...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/16

"I've seen some bad times in this house, but this is one of the lowest I've ever seen. When you go to that sort of standard of language, nothing's beneath you after that, is it?" That was Winston Peters yesterday after his coalition colleague, Brooke van Velden, used the c-word in parliament. And I’m with him 100%. He said he was disgusted that the word was said in Parliament, and he was disgusted that the word was used in a newspaper article at the weekend – which is why it came up for

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5:31

John MacDonald: I support the truckies saying 'us too...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/16

“It’s like making a silk purse out of a pig’s ear.” That’s a quote from the boss at Transporting New Zealand, which represents the transport sector, talking about Brougham Street in Christchurch. Because it’s been revealed by NZTA that the $150 million revamp of Brougham Street, one of Christchurch’s busiest streets, will include T2 transit lanes – which the truckies are brassed-off about because they won’t be able to use them. And I’m with the truckies. I think it’s nuts that on a street like

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12:00

Mike Blackburn: Construction analyst on the current...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/16

Construction is booming in Canterbury – but what is the market doing? Construction Analyst Mike Blackburn joined John MacDonald to delve into the current situation in the region, the areas that are seeing major work, and if they’re seeing an over-supply of multi-unit dwellings. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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5:28

John MacDonald: What I would do if I was running the...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/14

Well done to the Government for making all the right noises about dealing with truancy. It’s going to spend $140 million over the next four years with one aim: getting more kids to turn up at school regularly. It’s looking good. But I’m wanting to see some more creative approaches than what’s been talked about up until now, and I've got some ideas. Most of the $140 million ($123 million) is going to go into setting-up what the Government is calling an “attendance service”. So sounds a bit like

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9:30

Chris Hipkins: Labour Leader on pay equity, school...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/14

The Opposition Leader's welcoming Government investment into school attendance. $140 million from this year's Budget will go towards a new system and better data monitoring. Labour leader Chris Hipkins wanted truancy officers reintroduced two years ago when he was PM. Hipkins told John MacDonald it's clear disbanding the previous truancy service in 2012 was the wrong decision. He says it’s a good step in the right direction, and gives credit where credit is due. LISTEN ABOVESee

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5:00

John MacDonald: I've got a solution for the power...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/13

This poll out today saying nearly half of us are more concerned about power prices than we were a year ago, is nonsense. Because I reckon we’re all concerned about it, not just nearly half of us. If you’re not concerned about your power bill, then I’ll have what you’re having thanks. Only 8% of people who took part in this survey by Curia said they were less concerned. I’ll have some of what they're having, as well. More to the point, as well as being worried about the prices, we should be just as

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5:18

John MacDonald: There will always be cars and idiots

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/12

There are two things certain in this world. There will always be cars and there will always be idiots. That’s why this move by the Government to make it easier to seize and destroy cars won’t get rid of the boy racer problem. But it’s better than nothing and good on the Government for doing it. At the moment, the police can only seize or destroy a boy or girl racer’s car if they offend three times. We’re talking about three offences, in particular: taking part in illegal street racing; fleeing from

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5:30

John MacDonald: The Pope won't change the world, but...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/09

I don’t often quote Albert Einstein, but I’m going to today. “Those who believe that politics and religion do not mix, understand neither.” And if the new pope didn’t understand that before today, he will now. Because Cardinal Robert Prevost —who will be known as Leo XIV— has only just been elected and already he’s being lobbied by politicians around the world. He’s the first pope to come from the United States, and the pressure on him to start making noises on global issues has been pretty much

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18:48

Politics Friday with Megan Woods and Vanessa Weenink:...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/09

John MacDonald was joined this morning by Megan Woods and Vanessa Weenink, to delve into some of the biggest issues of the week. It’s been a big week for Weenink, who holds the electorate seat for Banks Peninsula – she gave an update on the State of Emergency in the area, and her thoughts on the response. Pay equity was the big topic of the week – it's been revealed National Party members were told about the plan last week – how did Weenink feel at the time? And David Parker believes it’s time for

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5:29

John MacDonald: The one problem I have with MMP

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/08

I’ve always been a fan of MMP. And I still am, but there’s one thing about it that I do struggle with – the list MPs. I know it took some of us a while to totally understand why we have list MPs. I understand – but I don’t necessarily like it. Which is why I thought retiring Labour MP David Parker raised some good points about MMP in his valedictory speech in Parliament. He reckons we should replace it with something else. His preference is the single transferable vote system, and he thinks we

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8:20

Phil Mauger: Christchurch Mayor on the State of...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/08

Banks Peninsula's State of Emergency remains in effect, with warning of more severe weather on its way for much of the country. The emergency was declared a week ago during record rain and flooding. Orange warnings have now been issued for more heavy rain for several parts of both islands, heading from south to north over the next two days. Christchurch Mayor Phil Mauger told Canterbury Mornings the State of Emergency will be reviewed again at 4pm. He says they worry rain tomorrow may impact

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5:38

John MacDonald: Don't crow about giving women the...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/07

Next time I hear one of our government politicians banging on about New Zealand being the first country in the world to give women the vote, it will sound very hollow. Because while that might be something to crow about, what the Government’s doing in relation to equal pay for women, isn’t. You’ve got to, at the very least, give Brooke van Velden credit for taking one for the team yesterday and announcing that the Government is pulling the plug on any current pay equity claims and making it harder

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5:44

John MacDonald: Do we all really need the pension at 65?

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/06

It was very clever of the Government announcing that it was going to pump $12 billion into defence before saying anything about where the money’s coming from. A lot of us got all excited about the defence money because, even if you’re a pacifist, you would have to agree that our defence force has been running on the smell of an oily rag for a very long time. That’s just a fact. And we kind of accepted that there would have to be trade-offs. We just didn’t know, and we still don’t know, what those

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5:44

John MacDonald: What to do about the illegal tobacco...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/05

Here’s a stat for you: 25 percent of cigarettes sold in New Zealand are from the black market. They’re being smuggled into the country and criminals are making millions selling them on Facebook Marketplace and construction sites. All over the place. And you probably don’t have to go far to find a dairy selling them, either. That figure has been put out by the tobacco industry in New Zealand. Although, there was an expert saying this morning that he reckons it’s not quite as bad as the tobacco

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4:49

John MacDonald: Less ministers and govt. departments?...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/02

I love the way David Seymour is describing the size of cabinet and the number of government departments. He says the whole lot are "a big, complicated bureaucratic beast". And he is spot on. Here are the numbers that say it all: we have 82 portfolios, 28 ministers, and 41 separate government departments and agencies. If that doesn’t sound like a complicated beast, I don’t what does. So no argument from me. No argument also from Oliver Hartwich, who is Executive Director at the NZ Initiative think

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4:41

John MacDonald: You thought it was expensive now to...

Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald ·

2025/05/01

If you think it’s expensive to travel around the country now, it’s about to get more expensive with KiwiRail ditching one of its ferries. But even though flying isn’t cheap, KiwiRail can forget about me making any interisland ferry bookings. Because why would ya? Two dungers —either of which can be out of service on any given day— no thanks. This all goes back to the decision by the Government not long after it came to power to pull the plug on the mega ferry project that Labour seemed to have an

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