Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

New Zealanders will get extra insight into the cost of living, as Stats NZ promises to release more up-to-date inflation data. Stats NZ will now publish monthly price changes for alcohol, fuel, tobacco, air and travel costs, in addition to regular data for food and rent prices. The CPI data will continue to be published every three months. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says this will...

2023 is a big year for organised labour action. Hundreds of thousands of Americans have walked off their jobs at a rate not seen in decades, with new data claiming over 18 million days have been lost to strikes so far this year. Back on New Zealand shores, 850,000 workdays have been lost to strikes between January and May, according to MBIE reports. Milford Asset Management's Deborah Lambie says u...

Insurance premiums are going through the roof, and Kiwis are feeling the pinch. All types of insurance costs rose by 9.6 per cent between the September 2022 and 2023 quarters, according to new data. Dwelling insurance costs led the jump, rising 21.2 percent, and contents and car insurance premiums went up by 18.8 and 10.2 percent, respectively. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny...

Plumbers, drain layers and gas fitters have expressed disappointment with the training their apprentices are getting from Te Pūkenga. Reports have surfaced of poor training facilities, students' work getting lost, and apprentices taking longer than expected to finish their programs as they wait for block courses to open up. Dave Strong from Morrinsville Plumbing and Gas says one of his apprentices...

Kiri Allan is being criticised for jumping from the Beehive into a consultancy firm, a manoeuvre the ex-Justice Minister once launched a review on. Justice officials were asked to look into lobbying in April, over controversy sparked by former MP Kris Faafoi starting a firm less than three months after resigning. Allan registered her new consultancy business two weeks after losing the justice port...

Hamas and Israel are pointing fingers at each other, following a deadly airstrike at a Gaza hospital. It's killed at least 500 people and Israel is blaming a misfire by militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad - which it denies. Meanwhile, an Israeli blockade has trapped people in Gaza as food, water, fuel and electricity becomes more scarce. Simon Eccleshall from Doctors Without Borders says Inte...

A new study shows a majority of adults hit the snooze button in the morning. The study of 1500 people found young people were more likely to sleep after their alarms go off. Dr Alex Bartle from the SleepWell Clinic says people should set alarms for when they need to get up. "Give yourself five or ten minutes just to come through- not so you go back to sleep again." He says it's easy to get up when...

NZ Rugby have concluded their investigation into the treatment of the Ranfurly Shield after images surfaced on social media in September. The organisation has confirmed that the Shield was accidentally dropped on the floor- but drug testing still hasn't identified the white substance from the photos. Hawke's Bay Rugby CEO Jay Campbell says NZ Rugby tested the Shield thoroughly, and the report only...

NZ First leader Winston Peters has touched down in Wellington, ahead of negotiation talks with National and ACT. There were cheers from onlookers outside the airport as he arrived- but Peters stayed quiet, despite being peppered with questions by journalists.  ZB political editor Jason Walls says it's unlikely Winston Peters will directly address media as coalition discussions get started- and jou...

Finger pointing has begun over an airstrike on a Gaza hospital that killed at least 500 people. Israel is blaming a misfire by militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad - which it denies. US President Joe Biden is en route to Israel, although his summit with Egypt, Palestine and Jordan has been cancelled. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Biden and his staff will likely be working on a plan that...

Hawke's Bay officials are keeping tight-lipped about the mysterious white powder pictured on the Ranfurly Shield after it was broken. An investigation which included interviews with players and management has determined the Shield was accidentally dropped- but it's unknown what the white substance was. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

The election result looks to have lit a fire under the property market. Real estate agents in Wellington say business has picked up since the 'blue wave' crashed through. National and ACT have both promised to phase in interest deductibility for landlords and make it easier for banks to lend money. City Sales sales manager Scott Dunn says people saw a change of Government coming. He says Auckland'...

The All Blacks managed to score a win against Ireland and advance to the World Cup semi-finals, but the victory wasn't without controversy. The   Irish Times  reported that midfielder Rieko Ioane performed a 'classless' gesture in the direction of Ireland's supporters in a taunting fashion. UK correspondent Enda Brady offers his take on the controversy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar and current affairs commentator Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the issues of the day- and more! Andrew Little announced his decision to bow out of politics- will any other big Labour names join him? Chris Hipkins says he's going to hang on and keep leading Labour for the time being- how long will he last? Who...

There's signs inflation in New Zealand may have passed its peak. New figures show inflation rose 5.6 percent in the year to September, down from six percent in the year to June. It's better than expected by banks and economists. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says these figures are encouraging- but inflation is still running very high, so caution should be applied. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.c...

New Zealand's farming community are feeling hopeful about the new changes in Government. While the nation's 54th Parliament won't be finalised until November, several prospective MPs from National and ACT have backgrounds in the primary sector. Grant McCallum, Suze Redmayne, Miles Anderson, Mike Butterick, Andrew Hoggard and Cameron Luxton are among the new faces bringing their rural backgrounds a...

Christopher Luxon has been batting off questions about National's ongoing coalition discussions. The incoming Prime Minister has confirmed he'll remain tight-lipped as National negotiates with ACT and NZ First as the special votes are still tallied. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says Luxon's trying to establish a style of leadership where his team gets things done- as opposed to di...

Chris Hipkins says he's still the leader of the Labour Party. He delivered the impassioned message after a marathon caucus meeting with new and current MPs. He's confirmed there was no leadership challenge, but the team will hold a vote within three months of the election. ZB political editor Jason Walls says Labour doesn't know the makeup of their future caucus yet- and there's still time for the...

Australia's Government is back to the drawing board after the failed Voice Referendum. All but one state voted No to changing the constitution to allow an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, with a nationwide support of around 40 percent. Australia's former ambassador to the United States,   John McCarthy, has claimed this rejection will be viewed negatively by the wider Asia-Pacific region. Australia...

Christchurch City Council is warning cutbacks and hard decisions will have to be made to avoid significant increases to rates. Mayor Phil Mauger says the council's 'up a creek' financially, and cuts to libraries and swimming pools are on the cards in order to avoid an 18 percent rate rise. Christchurch City Councillor Jake McLellan says the situation is a challenging one. "We're obviously subject...

A Wellington woman is trying to hunt down her wedding dress that accidentally got donated to an op shop. Donna McQuaid lent her wedding dress to a friend who was recently engaged. But that friend accidentally donated the designer dress to a Lower Hutt charity shop. McQuaid has called every charity shop in Wellington to no avail. She says if you saw it in an op-shop, you would know you've stumbled...

Mount Albert's Greens candidate says the narrow margin in the seat shows elections are no longer two-horse races. Labour's Helen White has won on early numbers by just over 100 votes. It's traditionally a Labour stronghold, previously held by Jacinda Ardern, David Shearer, Helen Clark - and Michael Savage. White's blaming her slim-win on the Greens splitting the vote. Ricardo Menendez-March says h...

Belief New Zealand's winning the war on inflation. Figures out today show annual inflation rose 5.6 percent in the year to September, down from 6 percent in the year to June. Kiwibank Senior Economist, Jarrod Kerr, says it's great some pressures are finally easing. "There's some frustrations in there, with petrol and a few other bits and pieces, but when we look at the broad basket of goods and se...

Former Labour Leader Andrew Little says he's thinking of the Party and its future as he quits politics. He says it's important those who'll form the next Labour Government get the chance to be nurtured and developed. Little says he doesn't believe people should hang on too long. "I feel very privileged to have been in the roles that I've been in and to have done what I've done, but I'm also at an...

Eddie Jones has admitted regret at his explosive press conference at the airport before leaving for the Rugby World Cup. The Wallabies coach told Australian media to give themselves an uppercut after fielding questions about their losing streak and leaving Michael Hooper and Quade Cooper out of the squad. Jones has denied talks with Japan's rugby union and has reaffirmed his intention to lead the...