Canterbury Mornings with John MacDonald
9am-12pm Weekdays
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 ¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞtalk 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.
¾ÅÒ»ÐÇ¿ÕÎÞÏÞtalk ZB Canterbury Mornings 9am-12pm with John MacDonald on 100.1FM and iHeartRadio.
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John MacDonald: Fix the Clean Slate law or get rid of it?
How do you feel about people being allowed to hide their convictions? There are two ways of doing it. 1) Just don’t tell people about it. Or use the clean slate...
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"We do not have enough housing": Concern after homeless forced to leave church grounds
Questions have been raised about where a Christchurch homeless community being booted out of a church carpark will go next. City Council's issued an abatement...
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John MacDonald: Regional council's tone deaf $40k pay increase
What would you say to a $40,000 pay rise? Yes please? If you’re the chief executive of Environment Canterbury regional council, you would. It’s been revealed that...
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"Going backwards": Hipkins backs teachers strike over Govt pay offer
More than 20 thousand secondary teachers are walking off the job today to strike over the lowest pay increase offer in a generation. Post-Primary Teachers Association...
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John MacDonald: Why is performance pay such a no-no for teachers?
You won’t get me tooting for the striking high school teachers. Because I don’t think they’re reading the room at all. On the picket lines, unhappy that they've...
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"Our settings right": Top cop defends arming of police following Christchurch double shooting
Canterbury's top police officer believes the current policies around arming New Zealand police officers are appropriate. Multiple investigations are underway following...
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John MacDonald: Are councils really the best outfits to be in charge of the water?
We are going to pay more for water services. But even though it's coming about because of government policy, I’m not blaming Wellington. I’m blaming our councils. Councils...
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John MacDonald: Should NZ build a nuclear reactor to attract tech giants?
How would you feel about New Zealand building small nuclear reactors to generate more power? That’s what the Maxim Institute think-tank is calling for. Saying that,...
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John MacDonald: How I feel about armed cops after this week's shootings
When I first heard about the police shooting and killing someone they had actually gone to help, like most people, I wondered how the hell that could happen. This...
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Politics Friday: MP defends claims Govt 'inherited' Hillmorton Hospital's failings
The Mental Health Minister's defending claiming his Government's inherited Hillmorton Hospital and its failings from the Labour-led Government of the time. A review...
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"This is all I am": Ronan Keating on his extensive career in performing, Selwyn Sounds
Ronan Keating has been performing for over 30 years. He debuted in 1993 as the frontman of Boyzone, going on to have an extremely successful solo career from 1999....
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John MacDonald: Boris fronted-up to a Covid Inquiry - why aren't our lot?
I can recall a conversation I had about a month ago with Labour leader and former Covid-19 Minister Chris Hipkins about Part 2 of the Royal Commission of Inquiry...
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John MacDonald: How do we pay for new roads without tolls?
Like anyone, if I can get something for free - I’ll take it. But if it’s something I have to pay for, then I’ll pay it. Which is how I’m feeling about all this fuss...
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John MacDonald: Here's why Luxon and Hipkins are neck-and-neck
If I asked you who you would rather go and have a beer with, Christopher Luxon or Chris Hipkins, who would you choose? I’d choose Luxon any day. One slight technicality...
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John MacDonald: The stadium train is an excellent idea - let's make the most of it
TOPIC 1 EDITORIAL: STADIUM TRAIN I love this plan for an express passenger train to get people into Christchurch for events at the new One New Zealand Stadium, which...
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John MacDonald: All aboard the speed hump bandwagon
You can tell council elections are coming up, because that’s the only reason the Christchurch City Council is going to start using high friction road surfaces at...
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Politics Friday: MPs call out poor communication around Canterbury police reshuffle
Local politicians from both sides of the political divide are slamming police process around the proposed restructure in wider Canterbury. Federated Farmers,...
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John MacDonald: The pawns in Chris Bishop's privatised RUC regime
When I heard Transport Minister Chris Bishop talking about the Government’s changes to the road user charges system, I had a bit of a Max Bradford moment. Max...
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John MacDonald: I asked an AI bot how it felt about marking exams
With the Government wanting artificial intelligence to be used to mark high school exams, I asked a ChatGPT bot how it felt about that. And here’s what it said:...
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"Talk to Mark Mitchell": Hipkins urges Police Minister to step in over Canterbury police restructure
The Opposition leader says he's worried Police are retrenching from rural communities. A planned staffing restructure could move some permanent posted rural officers...
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"Shift in focus": Proposed restructure would see Canterbury police pivot from rural to road policing
Canterbury police say they'll still serve rural communities under a plan to centralise officers. They're mid-way through two weeks of internal consultation on...
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John MacDonald: I like the NCEA changes, but...
Yesterday, when the Government announced that it was getting rid of NCEA, my immediate reaction was that it was a mistake. That we would have been much better...
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John MacDonald: Should the Christchurch mayor use personal funds for public projects?
Just because someone can afford to do something, it doesn’t always mean they should do it. Which is how I’m feeling about Christchurch mayor Phil Mauger using his...
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John MacDonald: Should NCEA cater more to students that aren't going to university?
It must be tricky being at school and feeling like you’re not doing anything to prepare you for what you actually want to do when you leave. The Government is starting...
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Politics Friday: Should the Govt intervene in Gloriavale?
Matt Doocey and Duncan Webb joined John MacDonald to give their thoughts on the biggest political stories of the week. Changes are likely coming to NCEA – are they...
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"You're the only one that can step up": Lawyer calls for PM to shut down Gloriavale
It’s believed the government has the ability to shut down Gloriavale. The West Coast religious commune's 85-year-old leader Howard Temple is a sex offender, having...
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John MacDonald: Gang numbers are up - so what next?
The gangs were right, the Government was wrong. That’s one way to interpret the news that, for the first time, the number of people on the national gang list is...
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John MacDonald: Now is not the time for 80% pay increases
I understand what the Prime Minister is saying about these pay increases for board members at Crown agencies, such as Health NZ and Kāinga Ora, but I’m not buying...
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John MacDonald: Under-staffed departments in overrun hospitals
The news today that half of the departments at Christchurch Hospital are operating below full staffing levels doesn’t surprise me. In some departments, they are...
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John MacDonald: What do sport gender guidelines have to do with the price of butter?
There will be no shortage of people today thinking that it's a brilliant move by the Government to ditch official guidelines for including transgender people in...
