Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills

It's Politics Thursday, and this week Nick Mills is joined by Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Tim Costley to debate the top political issues of the week.
The PSA strikes called for better pay, but Nick wonders if they got too political after Nicola Willis said union workers were told to wear red.
Our panel debate the necessity of the strike, with Costley pointing out the national average salary for public servants is $100k compared to $85k in the private sector.
Plus, does Wellington need a zoo, and should ratepayers have to pay nearly $14 million for a new lion enclosure?
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With the election only two months out, Finance Minister Nicola Willis joins Nick Mills in the studio this morning to talk the economy and Wellington issues.
When will ordinary people feel the economy begin to recover? With the latest OCR hike, Willis shares her predictions for the financial future.
On the local front, pressure is building on WCC Chief Infrastructure Officer Jenny Chetwynd who did not interview for the Moa Point review.
Willis called on Chetwynd to "front up" and take accountability.
“Apparently they provided written information, but you and I both know the lawyers would have written that.”
She said while the failures are spread across departments, it is clear the Wellington City Council did not do enough.
Mills and Willis discussed the public servants strike yesterday, and according to the Minister PSA union members were encouraged to wear red yesterday in support.
Plus, Willis shares her thoughts on the Green's "KiwiMart", and the MSD admin error.
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Tiaki Wai Board Chair Will Peet joins Nick Mills in the studio for an update after a hectic month with the Moa Point Review, first bills due and Commerce Commission oversight.
Mills questions Peet over the review and accountability. What has Tiaki Wai learnt so this will never happen again?
Peet gives more detail on the new oversight from the Commerce Commission and refutes Mill's concern Tiaki Wai have no competition to regulate prices.
They debate the price water meters, and Peet clarifies the councils calculate the bills - "we don't have billing system, we are completely reliant on the council's billing systems".
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We are just over a week out from one of Wellington's favourite events, World of WearableArt, GLO! at TSB Arena.
To celebrate, WOW CEO Meg Williams joins Nick Mills in the studio to share how the team are gearing up for another hit year, and she brings along a special treat.
This year there's a new addition to the WOW calendar - Taste of WOW.
Two new experiences will be held at the Intercontinental to share edible art inspired by WOW's collection of garments.
Check out the details on the WOW website, to see and taste a new side to Wellington's beloved event.
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EDITORIAL:
I'd love to have this conversation this morning because I genuinely don't know where the line is anymore.
The Government's advice is that kids don't necessarily need to stay home just because they've got a cough, a headache, a runny nose or a blocked nose.
Holy hell, I think one of the four you stay home.
Not go to school with cough, a headache, a runny nose or a blocked nose.
Come on, that’s pretty tough.
If they haven't had a fever for 24 hours, they're eating and drinking normally, they're alert and capable of learning, then mild symptoms alone don't necessarily mean a day off school.
Now, I get that. We've got a terrible school attendance problem.
But haven't we learnt something from COVID?
I'm certainly more conscious now about sneezing, coughing, washing my hands and potentially giving something to somebody else an ailment.
And here's my confession: I don't feel 100 percent today.
I had a terrible night's sleep. I went to bed feeling a bit average.
Woke up in the middle of the night, been awake since about 1 or 2am feeling blocked up, headachy, generally a bit crap.
But here I am.
And you know what, after my coffee this morning I feel great.
Maybe that's generational. I'm probably old school about it.
Unless I'm really sick, I come to work. You push through it.
But is that actually the right thing to do?
Because I work with people who, at the slightest sniffle, they say Sorry, can't come in. The slightest headache, oh no they can’t come in.
And sometimes I think: Really? That's enough for a sick day?
Well, you’ve got 10 you may as well use them.
Then you've got the complete opposite.
Someone arrives looking absolutely dreadful.
Coughing, spluttering, clearly sick, and you think: Mate, I admire your commitment, but please go home because I don't want to get whatever you've got!
And that's the other side of this.
Going to work sick isn't necessarily heroic, you can infect five other people.
We've just come through an extraordinary flu season. It’s been pretty horrible.
Hospitals have been under enormous pressure and schools have had huge numbers of kids away.
Now I was at my dentist the other day and I said to her, I've got a pretty open, friendly relationship with her, I said, how's it been?
And she said “it's been terrible”,
I looked at her and I said, it takes me a month to get in to see you, how can it be terrible?
Everyone's always sick, cancellations, bang, bang, bang.
Now that affects a lot of people.
So I want to get into the middle ground here.
I don't want to sit on the fence, but I want you to determine, I want you to determine how sick you have to be to have a sick day.
Is it a temperature? Vomiting? A terrible cough? Not being able to get out of bed?
Tick, tick, tick, tick should be days off work or school.
Or is simply feeling lousy enough?
And parents — where's the line with your kids?
Now I was a pretty lenient parent, must admit.
“I don't feel like going to school today, dad, I'm not feeling great.”
Stay home, I’m okay with that.
Because surely we don't want a generation believing every sniffle means a day on the couch, day in front of Netflix, a day on the machines.
But equally, we don't want genuinely sick kids being sent into classrooms because we're obsessed with attendance figures.
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