Midday Report

A top economist says the recovery is here - but card spending data out today is weak and retailers say they are entering the peak trading season under real pressure. Gareth Kiernan from Infometrics explains what's going on. A Taxpayers Union ad made with AI depicts Chris Hipkins as a home invading thief over the Capital Gains Tax. Have attack ads gone too far: Political scientist Claire Robinson w...

An update on the latest news and results from RNZ's sports team.

An update on the latest news from RNZ's rural team.

News from the business sector.

A new ad from the Taxpayers Union depicts Chris Hipkins bursting into a home and stealing wallets as the lobby group campaigns against Labour's capital gains tax. The AI-driven ad is the latest in a campaign loaded with attack ads and negativity. Political scientist Claire Robinson wrote a book on political advertising. She spoke to Guyon Espiner.

New Zealand's economy is in recovery mode, even if it doesn't feel like it, according to Infometrics. Infometrics Acting Managing Director and Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan spoke to Guyon Espiner.

Patch protection: The Green party defends politicians posing with mobsters, Marama Davidson fronts up on gangs and her party's plans to restore public service levels back to pre-Luxon levels. RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch joined Guyon Espiner with all the other news from the campaign trail: New Zealand First promising more funding for the coastguard and Labour unveils its cost of liv...

An update on the latest news and results from RNZ's sports team.

The latest news from the United States with Nine News reporter Lauren Tomasi in Washington DC.

An update on the latest news from RNZ's rural team.

The latest news from RNZ's business team.

RNZ deputy political editor Craig McCulloch spoke to Guyon Espiner with the latest from the campaign trail, and reaction to Marama Davidson's interview on Midday Report.

How should politicians engage with gangs? The question arises after MPs from the Greens and Te Pati Maori posed for photos with Mongrel Mob members, and then posted the pics online. Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it showed poor judgment and then ruled out the Greens or Te Pati Maori holding key law-and-order portfolios in any Labour-led government. Green Party co-leader Marama Davidson spoke to...

Today: Tax cuts for landlords or rent relief for renters. David Seymour says a $300 million promise to give tax breaks to property investors will help keep rents down. Guyon Espiner asked him if it's borrowing for tax cuts. New Zealand is one of just one five countries not to sign up to a pandemic preparedness plan at the UN. Guyon Espinder spoke to international law expert professor Al Gillespie...

An update on the latest news and results from RNZ's sports team.

New Zealand has slipped out of the top 20 in the world press freedom rankings for the first time. In the 2026 Reporters Without Borders index we've fallen six places to 22nd out of 180 countries. Media expert Gavin Ellis talks to Guyon Espiner

The latest news from Australia with correspondent Amanda Copp in Canberra.

An update on the latest news from RNZ's rural team.

The latest news from RNZ's business team.

New Zealand was one of only five countries not to vote for a global pandemic preparedness at the United Nations. International law expert Al Gillespie talks to Guyon Espiner.

ACT wants to bring back a tax break for landlords that Labour scrapped in 2019. Party leader David Seymour talks to Guyon Espiner.

A damning King's Counsel report into the Teaching Council's handling of sex-offender Timothy Fisher's case has been released. National has promised to introduce random drug testing for those on the jobseeker benefit - but former National Minister isn't a fan of the plan. Veteran journalist Peter Bergen interviewed Osama Bin Laden before 9/11 - his new book examines how Bush, Obama, Biden and Trump...

An update on the latest news and results from RNZ's sports team.

Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 attacks became the deadliest assault on American soil since Pearl Harbour. The wars that followed cost trillions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of lives. Twenty years after the invasion of Afghanistan, the Taliban took back the country, and America's standing has taken a heavy hit. Peter Bergen, CNN's national security analyst, has reported from the Mi...

The latest news from the United States with Nine News reporter Lauren Tomasi in Washington DC.