Jimmy Ellingham
Northland swept up in blue wave, slender red lead in Maori seat
Northland's general electorates have been swept up in the blue wave engulfing New Zealand. Although, in the Maori electorate, Te Tai Tokerau, Labour's Kelvin Davis holds a slender lead. In a region… Audio
'Not in our backyard': Old trains dumped in North Island town
'Not in our backyard thank you very much'. Taumaranui locals want to know why disused trains from Auckland have been dumped in their town. The unwanted Auckland carriages were surplus to requirement… Video, Audio
Hot, dry El nino summer forecast places extra stress on farmers
The forecast hot, dry El Nino summer is placing extra stress on farmers battered by Cyclone Gabrielle. In the lower North Island's Tararua District, a Big Dry could hit particularly hard after a boggy… Audio
Cost of living and rent spikes hit pensioners who don't own homes
For pensioners who don't own their own homes, the cost of living and rent spikes are eating into their income and sense of security. But, around New Zealand, a small number of accommodation providers… Audio
Proposed cuts have Massey Uni students stressed about future
Students affected by proposed cuts to science courses at Massey University say they're stressed about their futures, at a time when they should be preparing for exams. Last night we heard from… Audio
Cash-strapped Massey University proposing to slash science jobs
Cash-strapped Massey University is wielding the axe, proposing to slash jobs and courses. Students and staff say the plan puts the university into a death spiral. If courses are cut expertise will be… Audio
Businesses on the West Coast battle post-covid pressures
Business owners around Greymouth on the South Island's West Coast know about tough times, trading through coal mine closures, the Christchurch quakes and recessions. And then there's Covid and a cost… Video, Audio
First Up - The Podcast, Friday 29 September
On today's First Up pod - Jimmy Ellingham in for Nathan: Glenn Forsyth talks about the Chinese Moon Festival and reveals his fruit of the week; ACT's deputy leader Brooke Van Velden is here, with just… Audio
Quieter election campaigning on Chathams Islands
Staying with politics - early voting for the election starts this coming Monday. But not on the Chathams!! Early voting on Rekohu doesn't start until the 9th of October. Chatham Islands Mayor -… Audio
ACT's Brooke van Velden on latest polls
To politics now and it's time for our weekly catch up with the ACT Party. Deputy leader Brooke van Velden spoke with Jimmy Ellingham. Audio
'It's rough': Queenstown residents sleeping in tents due to housing crisis
Queenstown is fighting fires on a couple of fronts - as it cleans up from a state of emergency, and deals with a cryptosporidium outbreak. As well as that, the resort town is still dealing with a… Video, Audio
Motorsport royalty to hit NZ's dusty rural roads this weekend
Motorsport royalty will be sliding around dusty rural roads this weekend during the return of a rallying favourite. SuperCar and Nascar champ Shane van Gisbergen and rally legend Hayden Paddon… Audio
Family of man found dead after leaving ward still in the dark
The family of a man found dead after he failed to return to the mental health ward at Palmerston North Hospital say they're still in the dark about what happened almost nine months on. 69 year old… Audio
Tourism operators in Franz Josef confident of summer bounce-back
Tourism operators in the South Island town of Franz Josef are confident the summer will herald a boon for the region, which was hit hard by Covid lockdowns. Last summer was a return to normal of… Video, Audio
Around the motu: Jimmy Ellingham in Palmerston North
Jimmy discusses the Rangitikei electorate - it's the third largest electorate in the North Island, stretching from east of Levin in the south, across the central plateau, to above Taumarunui to the… Audio
Winston Peters rallies his base in Levin
After a three year hiatus, Winston Peters is being talked about once again, cracking 5 percent in some recent polls... But will the 78-year-old - and New Zealand First - actually make it back into… Audio
Cost of living top of mind for people in Hokitika, as PM visits
The Labour leader was in Hokitika today, a town founded in the gold rush of the 1860s, and has known booms and busts. Just like the rest of the country, it's a town feeling the full effects of the… Video, Audio
A visit to the birthplace of the Labour party, as it tanks in the polls
As Labour tanks in pre-election polls, we visit a West Coast town that played an important role in the party's history. A miners' strike in Blackball in 1908 laid the foundation stone for Labour's… Video, Audio
School rallies to get teenager to London for major brain surgery
Carson Harvey was an active teenager, cramming in as many sports around his school schedule as he could. But his world changed two months ago when he suffered a brain bleed that requires major surgery… Audio
Documents reveal why a key figure at Lake Alice wasn't charged
Police documents obtained by Checkpoint have revealed why they didn't charge a key figure at the Lake Alice psychiatric hospital. Dr Selwyn Leeks was the lead psychiatrist at the child and adolescent… Video, Audio
