Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Environment Canterbury's worried swells may delay the rescue of a fishing boat beached off the coast of Canterbury's Shell Bay. The vessel, which ran aground on Sunday, had about 10,000 litres of diesel and 400 litres of hydraulic oil onboard. Images show the vessel on rocks, spilling oil near an endangered penguin colony. Environment Canterbury Commander Emma Parr says crews are battling two metr...

National denies their new welfare policy will put more children into poverty. The party wants a traffic light-style scheme, which sanctions beneficiaries who don't meet their Jobseeker obligations. A third breach could see benefit reductions, mandatory work experience, and someone's money managed by WINZ. Labour argues the policy would increase child poverty, but National's Louise Upston says it'l...

There's growing speculation that Labour could eventually introduce a wealth tax. In a leaked video, Labour's Wellington Central candidate Ibrahim Omer tells a meeting that the party hasn't given up on the policy. Hipkins has pushed back against these claims and plans to discuss Omer's comments with him. ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says Hipkins has made it clear that he's not introducing a weal...

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced his resignation. He'd called a sudden press conference in Melbourne this afternoon. Andrews has been in the job nearly a decade, and famously steered the Australian state through the pandemic with tough measures. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Andrews led a complicated and divisive political legacy over the last 10 years. LISTEN ABOVE See o...

Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki will return to her eighth ASB Classic with a new appreciation for the sport. The 2018 Australian Open champion recently made the round of 16 at the US Open after three years out for the birth of her two children. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what we can expect from this grand return. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Kids as young as 12 are leaving the classroom in search of work. Taupō Pathways For Youth Employment has been receiving calls from parents asking to help find work for their young children. Truancy services are working with thousands of kids as young as six who have been un-enrolled from school. Brendon Crompton of re-enrolment service Blue Light says the children can have complex issues keeping t...

Dozens of officers from London's Metropolitan Police have handed in their firearms over the weekend. This comes as a Met officer was charged with murder for fatally shooting an unarmed black man. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the British Ministry of Defence is offering to volunteer their services to support the police in London- in specific circumstances. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listene...

Both Labour and National took a dive in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll. The National Party has lost nearly 2 points of support, taking it to just over 39 percent - and with ACT on 8.8, it needs New Zealand First to govern. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan explains what this could mean for the election. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More overstaying migrants have been found to be living in inhumane conditions.  Several overstayers have been found in a backyard shantytown in West Auckland, living in makeshift sheds and a dilapidated caravan. The Migrant Exploitation Relief Foundation has since filed a complaint about this case to Immigration New Zealand- and Auckland Council plans to investigate. Foundation trustee Casey Coste...

Synlait Milk has reported an annual loss of $4.3 million, following a difficult few months for the industry. The Canterbury-based milk processor reportedly earned $38.5 million the previous year. Chief executive Grant Watson aims to turn the company's profit around by diversifying growth strategies and reducing internal costs. "There's a huge amount of effort going on throughout the business to st...

Australian rugby has experienced its darkest day in a while. The Wallabies are all but out of the Rugby World Cup following their second defeat, this time to Wales with a 40-6 loss. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says this marks the first time Australia is unlikely to pass through the World Cup group stage- but sacking Eddie Jones isn't the answer. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/liste...

The Silver Ferns haven't won any of their last five netball tests- and captain Ameliaranne Ekenasio is sick of the feeling. A month on from New Zealand's worst performance at a World Cup, the Silver Ferns suffered a shock defeat to a second-tier England side in Christchurch last night. ZB's Jason Pine recaps the loss here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Associate Finance spokesperson is looking on the bright side of the latest poll. The party has fallen a further 0.3 points to 26.5 and National's dropped 1.8 points to 39.1 percent. NZ First is up 1.9 points to 5.2 percent, reaching the necessary threshold to enter Parliament. David Parker says it appears the left has stabilised - while National and ACT have peaked early. "I think it's th...

Gisborne District Council says a beloved family dog should've never been put down under its watch. An investigation has been launched after Sarge was taken from his property on Friday and mistakenly euthanised by an animal control officer. According to the family's social media post, he was fully chipped and in a fenced-in area. Gisborne District Council's Nedine Thatcher-Swann says she wants to u...

Z Energy says demand for petrol is falling substantially, due to fuel price spikes and lifestyle changes among Kiwis. Brent crude oil prices are at a 10-month high, with 91 fuel reaching $3.20 a litre in some parts of the country. Retail General Manager, Andy Baird says demand for jet fuel remains strong, while the consumer market is under pressure. "And that's, we think, just a factor of the pre-...

Winston Peters says he doesn't feel snubbed by being the National leader's last resort. Chris Luxon today confirmed he would work with New Zealand First post-election if absolutely necessary- but reiterates his preference is a National-Act Government. Peters says Luxon's been under media pressure to make a call and has taken the time to make the right decision. He says he'd be happy to take Luxon'...

Every Monday until the election The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, former Business NZ CEO Phil O’Reilly and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills have the insight word and analysis.   This week, the Executive Director of the Taxpayer’s Union Jordan Williams steps in for Barr...

Further allegations against Russell Brand have emerged. A new accuser has claimed the actor, comedian and radio host exposed himself to her in a lift in 2008, who then joked about it on his radio show. And Sweden’s minority-coalition government is facing backlash after following in the UK’s footsteps in slashing its climate budget. It expects to miss its 2030 transport targets and has cut funding...

The allegation of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh Canadian is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, including intelligence provided by a major ally, a Canadian official told The Associated Press on Thursday. The official said the communications involved Indian officials and Indian diplomats in Canada and that some of the intelligence was provided by a member of the “Fiv...

A chance for the Warriors to reach their first NRL Grand Final since 2011. But they'll have to get past a formidable Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium to get to the final on October 1. A huge clash in the Rugby World Cup this weekend. The All Blacks - who have a bye week - will be watching South Africa vs Ireland with a very close eye to see who their potential quarter-final opponents will be. ...

Up to 23 cryptosporidium cases have been confirmed in Queenstown due to poor drinking water. Water regulator Taumata Arowai has ordered the council to install a parasite barrier hoping to stop the problem. Water New Zealand says about 20 percent of Kiwis drink water without this barrier. Acting Technical Manager Lesley Smith joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

A spectacular weekend awaits Warriors fans. Victory against the Brisbane Broncos on enemy turf will see the Kiwi outfit qualify for their first NRL Grand Final since 2011. Warriors assistant coach Richard Agar joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rupert Murdoch is stepping down from the role of chairman of News Corp and Fox at 92. The immediate successor appears to be his son Lachlan, but there are other family members and all sorts of other behind-the-scenes stuff going on. Monash University Head of Journalism Johan Lidberg joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another allegation of bullying in the Labour Party. MP Shanan Halbert has been accused of bullying by several former staff dating back more than a year, labelling him “manipulative”, “scheming” and “a narcissist”. Minor party leaders have had their say in the latest election debate. Act’s David Seymour, the Green’s Marama Davidson, NZ First’s Winston Peters and Te Pati Maori’s Debbie Ngawera-Packe...

Airlines say they share customers' frustration at Auckland Airport's passenger congestion woes. Thousands are expected to fly in and out of the airport tomorrow as it continues to deal with big Customs wait times during busy periods. The Board of Airline Representatives claim the airport says it has capacity for just over 2000 passengers an hour on a rolling 5-minute basis. However, congestion's o...