Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A plea for the Government to wake up to the reality of vaping among young people. The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation says a 'black market' for vapes has sprung up in schools. One workshop with year 7 and 8 students found 77 percent of them had tried it. Chief Executive Letitia Harding says on the campaign trail, politicians liked to talk about different ways to tackle the problem. "But as soon...

A reminder every second counts when it comes to the effort of fighting fires. Fire and Emergency New Zealand has criticised Auckland Transport for speed bumps, which it says slows firefighters on their way to jobs. Professional Firefighters Union Auckland President Terry Bird says it doesn't have to be all or nothing. "There's an opportunity to talk about how to design these speed management humps...

Kensington Palace is refusing to comment on a new image of the Princess of Wales, after concerns it's been manipulated. The picture posted this morning to celebrate Mother's Day in the UK shows Catherine with her three children. But,  The Associated Press, Reuters and Getty have pulled the image from circulation. ITV royal correspondent Chris Ship says this photo was meant to dampen speculation ar...

Australia has fought back from being five wickets down for just 80 runs to beat New Zealand by three wickets in the second test in Christchurch, taking the series 2-nil. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey scored an unbeaten 98, while Ben Sears took four for 65 for the Black Caps. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There were concerns The Holdovers was going to win 'Best Original Screenplay' at today's 96th Academy Awards after plagiarism accusations. The award instead went to Anatomy of a Fall. Screenwriter Simon Stephenson - who also wrote Paddington 2 - claims The Holdovers' story is remarkably similar to a script he wrote in 2013. Hollywood reporter Sean Mandell says by not winning, they've dodged a dice...

If the speculation around Kate Middleton's health was at a fever pitch last week, it is off the charts today because of the photo. This drama is very much developing at the moment. By the time the photo-is-manipulated revelation came out, it was very late in the UK already. It's still very early morning over there, so I would expect things to start happening again in the next few hours as people w...

The price of gold has hit a record high, over $3,500 an ounce. Development West Coast CEO, Heath Milne, says this is great news as a number of gold mining and refining projects are underway.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mothers Ruined Gin co-owner Jo Davy joins Heather to discuss their battle with energy drink giant, Energy Beverages LLC, who claim they own the word Mother.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Shane Reti joins Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the governments newly announced health targets for 2024. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson joins Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Television New Zealand (TVNZ) chief executive Jodi O’Donnell has told Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan she didn’t want to cut any shows, but it had been a day of hard decisions. “It’s only a proposal at this stage," O'Donnell said.  "We have spent the seven months working across the business trying to find cost savings,” she said However, it hadn’t been enough, she said. “We need to do somet...

Judith Collins is using Chat-GPT to help her write her speeches.  She leads a group of MP's in Parliament trying to figure out how to responsibly use AI.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, police in the Bradford area have deployed undercover female officers to crack down on sexual harassment. This is amid a 'concerning' epidemic of young women reporting concerns for their safety while they were out running. UK correspondent Enda Brady says anyone caught harassing a woman under these conditions will face a $2000 fine. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  David Seymour is copping some backlash over his comments about TVNZ, namely reporter Benedict Collins and his coverage of Chris Luxon's accommodation subsidy. Was this an immature move on Seymour's part? TVNZ has also confirmed they plan to...

A petition urging the Government to keep the ban on live animal exports in place is gaining traction. Despite the Government promising to repeal the ban during the election, over 13,000 people have signed. The Country's Jamie Mackay says this is a polarising topic that's divided New Zealand's farming community. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Financial journalism veteran Liam Dann aims to guide New Zealanders through the business world using familiar Kiwi terms. BBQ Economics examines everything from interest rates, to economic conditions to the price of cheese- and it's out in bookstores this week. Liam Dann himself explains the purpose of this book here today. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chinese e-commerce firm Temu has been taking the world of online retail by storm. The retailer's 'shop like a billionaire' campaign reflects their too-good-to-be true prices and deals promoted to consumers on social media- and beyond. Brand strategist Jill Brinsdon says Temu's targeting bargain hunters, and they seem determined to sweep the competition.  "It's quite a classic strategy, Chemist War...

Attorney-General Judith Collins has concluded that the Government's move to ban gang patches is against the bill of rights. She tabled the advice in Parliament this afternoon, saying despite some gang members thinking they're above the law- they are also entitled to its protection. The bill seeks to reduce the ability for gangs to operate and cause fear in communities, by banning their patches. ZB...

There's hope that the Government's plan to fast-track consents will speed up the production of independently created windfarms- eventually leading to cheaper electricity. The new regime gives ministers the final say to sign off on initiatives it considers to be of regional or national significance. Ventus Energy CEO Glenn Starr says shorter consenting timeframes will allow the company to compete w...

There's growing concern Australia's Reserve Bank may have gone too far to reduce inflation. The RBA infamously pushed the Official Cash Rate up 13 times in a row, and some economists are concerned Australia's economy may suffer as a result. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says decreased spending has shrunk economic growth in the last three months of 2023. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/liste...

The motel sector is welcoming the Government's new priority one emergency housing policies. Families with children living in emergency motels are being pushed to the front of the queue for a state house. It's also introducing a new verification system to crack down on who can access emergency motel accommodation to begin with. Hospitality New Zealand Accommodation Chair Troy Clarry says most motel...

Cats and dogs will soon be allowed in the cabin of some Australian domestic flights. Virgin has announced plans to become Australia's first airline to allow pets to ride onboard, with small dogs and cats to be allowed in specific rows. The service will only be available on select flights. Aviation commentator Irene King says pet travel is best suited to shorter flights. "You have to keep them shor...

The Government has promised bigger projects will be built faster and more cost-effectively under their fast-track approval scheme. This legislation, which would give power to ministers to sign-off consents for major infrastructure projects, has passed its first reading in the House. Minister for Regional Economic Development Shane Jones says a 'long-term pipeline' of projects will encourage invest...

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark says trimming TVNZ's flagship news show in half would be tragic. TVNZ has confirmed it is proposing to cut up to 68 roles. Our newsroom understands about 35 are news roles. It comes a week after Warner Brothers Discovery announced a proposal to scrap Newshub. Clark says we'd barely get 14 minutes of news, then sport and the weather, and that just wouldn't cover it...

Both of the Warriors' first two NRL home games have sold out. The remaining tickets available for tomorrow night's campaign opener against Cronulla were snapped up this morning. It's the club's first opening round sell-out at Mount Smart since their first match in 1995 against the Brisbane Broncos. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...