Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

New Zealanders under clear skies tonight could glimpse a meteor shower. The rare display will be visible between 8pm and midnight, as the debris field intercepts Earth's orbit. Auckland University physics professor Richard Easther says it's the first appearance from this particular shower. "There are some meteor showers that happen every year, but this one is new- and it's associated with a comet....

New Zealand's Climate Change Minister says more ambition's needed to transition the world away from fossil fuels. Simon Watts is attending the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai, which is reportedly on the verge of failure, because of a lack of agreement. Its draft climate deal doesn't include plans to phase out fossil fuels and several countries are threatening to walk out. Watts says words in...

It was a fiery afternoon in Parliament, with Winston Peters filling the hot seat. Prime Minister Chris Luxon is out of the country to attend his daughter's graduation in Australia. ZB political editor Jason Walls says Winston stuck to his usual habits of insulting political rivals and referencing himself in the third person. "You can imagine the smile on his face when he was saying all this in the...

The judge in Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case ordered Sky News to release an alleged secret recording of a conversation between Brittany Higgins's lawyer and fiancé. The conversation reportedly showed the pair discussing Higgins's cross-examination while she was still testifying. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this is the latest development in a long and costly investigation. LISTEN ABO...

The White Ferns are well and truly pegging Pakistan back after the visitors made a strong start to their chase of a mammoth target in the opening one-day cricket international in Queenstown. The visitors are 145 for 2 after 30 overs - pursuing a target of 366. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are urging New Zealand to ditch the 'best before' labels on food packaging to reduce food waste issues. Food waste costs the nation $3.2 billion per year, with an estimated 100,000 tonnes of product tossed out. Love Food Hate Waste's Kate Fenwick says many people are confused between the 'best before' and 'use by' dates. "I've seen people throw away perfectly good packets of dry pasta, whi...

The UK Government has earmarked at least £700 million to manage the arrival of migrants on small boats until 2030, according to previously unnoticed commercial plans. Officials published the projections online last week, with predictions the Channel crossings could continue up to 2034. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains the two-pronged partnership to accommodate this scheme. LISTEN ABOVE See omn...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! National's Chris Luxon has confirmed Fair Pay Agreements will be scrapped by Christmas and 90-day trials will be implemented. Is this terrible news for workers? More PISA results show Kiwi kids are among the worst behaved...

Former politician and Reserve Bank Governor Don Brash has issued a warning about the second pillar of AUKUS. US lawmakers have struck a deal on the AUKUS military pact - with legislation approving the sale of three Virginia-Class vessels expected to soon be made public NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan noted that his concerns reflected previous sentiments that the US held too much influenc...

Emerging AI company Being AI is set to become the first artificial intelligence-based business to appear on the NZX. Listed investors Ascension Capital have today entered into a conditional agreement to acquire several businesses, with a vote set for March. Co-founder David McDonald says the venture aims to help other companies make sense of the AI space. "We've got three branches, if you will. Th...

The Prime Minister says scrapping Fair Pay Agreements and bringing in 90 day trials means more workers can be hired. FPAs - which triggers collective bargaining if it's called for by 10 percent of a workforce - will be scrapped by Christmas. Meanwhile, a new bill will mean every business will be allowed to dismiss a worker in their first 90 days. ZB political editor Jason Walls says this update is...

A new visa that would take one week to approve is being introduced to lure skilled workers over to Australia. Applicants from pre-approved fields will be fast-tracked over as part of an initiative to return overseas migration to a sustainable level. Australia's net migration level is believed to have peaked last financial year at 510,000 and forecast to fall to more normal levels, down to 375,000...

The Finance Minister says she has faith leaks of sensitive Government information will dry up. The new Government has faced two in the past five days. The latest shows the Government has suspended Regulatory Impact Analyses for some proposals within the first 100 days. It means legislation will undergo less scrutiny. Nicola Willis says she believes the public service will want to keep its reputati...

Greenpeace have labelled the Government 'climate extremists' over their plan to repeal the oil and gas exploration ban. The organisation erected a billboard near Parliament in Wellington featuring Chris Luxon, Winston Peters and David Seymour. Executive director Russel Norman says New Zealand is transitioning away from fossil fuels- and the Government should help that transition along. "You can se...

Major worry about pedestrian safety as 'over-powered' e-scooters hit the streets. RNZ reports scooters under 300 watts with a top speed of 35 kilometres an hour qualify as low-powered vehicles, and don’t have to be registered or licensed. Higher-wattage versions that go nearly 100km an hour require registration, but it isn't happening. Living Streets Aotearoa President Tim Jones says better rules...

Wairoa District Council is looking for answers to explain the unusual flooding during Cyclone Gabrielle. It's launched an independent investigation to understand whether the flooding was linked to heavy amounts of slash. Mayor Craig Little has suggested there was a theory Genesis opened the Waikaremoana Dam floodgates - which Genesis denies. He says the river was uncharacteristically different fro...

ACT's leader says the Government isn't prepared to return all Crown-owned land in Northland to its iwi. Over the weekend, the Waitangi Tribunal provided a report on extensive Te Tiriti breaches against Ngapuhi. It recommends the Crown apologise, return land, offer compensation and enter talks to rework our constitutional framework. David Seymour says there've been claims on land in almost every pa...

A bold new transport plan pitched as a cheaper, faster replacement for Let's Get Wellington Moving has attracted the interest of city leaders. It features a mega-tunnel, demolition of heritage buildings, ditching Light Rail and a host of other changes. Greg Pollock, the capital’s former public transport boss, will pitch his plan this week. He says it's clear Wellington needs a better transport sys...

Let's talk about the public service leaks against the new Government. There's been a couple of leaks of Cabinet papers in just the first two weeks of the Government. Obviously, they're designed to hurt the new Government- and they're probably coming from within the public service. Bless- that's got to be your first thought about this. Because obviously, whoever's doing the leaking is going out of...

Reports suggest Eddie Jones is set for a second stint as Japan's rugby coach, six weeks after his resignation as Wallabies mentor. Jones previously led Japan between 2012 and 2015. Any final sign-off must come from the Japanese board, who meet on Wednesday. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a warning that most pay rises next year are not going to keep up with the cost of living. Global consultancy Robert Walters salary survey shows that while most bosses are planning to give pay rises, the vast majority of them will only give between one and 5% despite inflation reaching 7.5%. Robert Walters Commercial Director Stuart Nash told Heather du Plessis Allan that businesses "simpl...

A Wellington City Councillor is bemused to have been under investigation for breaching council code. Five City Councillors have been ordered to take lessons on the code of conduct - over leaks of a closed-door briefing on the future of the closed CBD Reading Cinemas. They're accused of failing to keep things confidential when responding to media. Councillor Ray Chung told Heather du Plessis Allan...

Auckland Transport has given itself the ambitious target of fixing 550 kilometres of road this summer to try to get to the potholes before they become much worse. Auckland Transport CEO Dean Kimpton told Heather du Plessis Allan that they are 1400 kilometres behind due to "lack of investment and wet weather but we're determined to get the roads to where they need to be".   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystu...

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has raised concerns over the escalating cost of KiwiRail's Cook Straight ferry project. She revealed yesterday that  the potential cost to the taxpayer is now many times what the Government initially signed up to and said the situation was “deeply troubling”. Willis told Heather du Plessis Allan that she doesn't think "the proper work was done to thoroughly understan...

Two people have been found guilty of murdering Christchurch mother   Angela Blackmoore  28 years ago. Former debt collector David Hawken, 50, and ex-stripper Rebecca Wright-Meldrum, 51, were on trial in the High Court at Christchurch after denying murdering Angela Blackmoore on August 17, 1995. In 2019, police issued a $100,000 reward for information regarding the death of Angela Blackmore which l...