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 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.
-
Politics Friday: Are the new shoplifting laws a slippery slope?
Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined by Labour’s Reuben Davidson and National’s Matt Doocey to delve into the biggest topics of the week. On today’s...
-
John MacDonald: Guilt until innocence proven would be a slippery slope
I’m no apologist for shoplifters. I think it is appalling that retail crime costs retailers $2.6 billion a year. And that more than half of them not only have to...
-
John MacDonald: How important is it that Tom Phillips' enablers are found?
I’ve really surprised myself. Because, even though I think it’s totally shameful that people have been helping Tom Phillips keep his kids in hiding for nearly four...
-
John MacDonald: I was wrong and the police were right
I was wrong and the police were right. After yesterday’s events, I’ll admit that I was wrong when I said over the last few years that the police were pussy-footing...
-
John MacDonald: Compulsory KiwiSaver is a no-brainer
Winston Peters’ idea of making KiwiSaver compulsory is a no-brainer. It’s not a new idea. But it’s a great idea. It’s also something the NZ First leader has been...
-
John MacDonald: What does kicking out overstayers actually achieve?
What does kicking overstayers out of the country actually achieve? With just under 21,000 overstayers in New Zealand, the Government is planning a crackdown. But...
-
Politics Friday: Should there be amnesty for overstayers?
Today on Politics Friday, John MacDonald was joined by Megan Woods and Matt Doocey to delve into the biggest stories of the week. They discussed the tougher immigration...
-
John MacDonald: Do heavy court workloads justify crims getting off lightly?
Sir Ron Young, who used to be a high court judge and used to be chair of the Parole Board, thinks shorter sentences could take the strain off the justice system....
-
John MacDonald: We'd be mad to pull out of the Paris agreement
We would be mad to pull out of the Paris Climate Change Agreement. ACT leader David Seymour thinks differently though, saying its emissions targets are "disconnected...
-
"Show some leadership": Hipkins calls on Luxon to completely rule out leaving the Paris Agreement
Labour and National appear to be aligned on the Paris Climate Agreement. Yesterday ACT called for New Zealand to leave unless the terms of the deal change, but...
-
John MacDonald: Who isn't talking to who at Christchurch City Council?
At one point after the earthquakes, I had the insurance company telling me that it wanted to replace the driveway before the sewer line that ran under it had been...
-
John MacDonald: Do we really think the parties on the left would do better?
You know a Government is in trouble when you see a major news organisation running an online poll asking people whether they think the Prime Minister has had a good...
-
John MacDonald: Who says we're drinking responsibly?
Associate Health Minister Nicole McKee is talking nonsense when she says most of us who drink alcohol do it responsibly. If she really believes that, then she needs...
-
John MacDonald: The not-so-super rescue plan for shoppers
It’s just over four years since the Commerce Commission released its first report on the supermarket sector in New Zealand and, yesterday, the Government announced...
-
John MacDonald: The absurdity of our insurance market
If this doesn’t convince you that the insurance system in this country is broken, nothing will. Consumer NZ has revealed that in the past 25 years, the cost of insurance...
-
John MacDonald: The KiwiSaver divide that needs sorting
I think it would be very easy to push-back on Retirement Commissioner Jane Wrightson’s call for changes to the KiwiSaver scheme to make it easier for self-employed...
-
John MacDonald: Is user-pays being taken too far?
We'll be chewing through the power in the south this week with the frosty weather. Which is the "ideal time" for Transpower to reveal that the budget for a major...
-
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...
-
"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...
-
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...
-
"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...
-
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...
-
"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...
-
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...
-
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,...
-
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...
-
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...
-
"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....
-
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...
-
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...
