Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A reminder the trial of triple murder-accused Lauren Dickason case is decided by a jury, not the experts. She doesn’t deny killing her three daughters in Timaru in 2021, but is mounting a defence of infanticide and insanity. The jury retired for deliberations just before 2pm - returning to again watch the police interviews with the accused, and her husband. The Herald's Anna Leask says Justice Cam...

Confusion from some smaller supermarket outlets, as the Government announces an election policy to remove GST on fresh and frozen produce. It says it would save the average household $20 a month, starting next April. Supie founder Sarah Balle says it'll add administration costs throughout the supply chain - which will reduce any savings. "To not just the fruit and vegetable growers themselves, but...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has voiced support for a national holiday if the Matildas succeed in the World Cup. Australia has made it to the semi-finals against England and could potentially make history if they advance to the finals and win. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson disagrees with this idea, saying the region doesn't need an extra public holiday. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio....

It's Australia versus Europe in the final four of the FIFA Women's World Cup. The Matildas squeezed past France 7-6 on penalties in Brisbane, while England came from 1-nil down to beat Colombia 2-1. The semis will also see Spain tackling Sweden in Auckland and England taking on Australia in Sydney. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains what we can expect come Tuesday. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.c...

NZR seeks to make changes to provincial rugby, following chief Mark Robinson claiming the current model isn't 'fit for purpose'. The NPC was launched two weeks ago with minimal promotion or fanfare, and interest in the sport has been sparse. Former All Black Sir John Kirwan agrees with this assessment, and claims the NPC needs to be aligned closer to Super Rugby. "They play a curtain-raiser, they...

The weekly grocery cost continues to sting Kiwis. Food prices dropped 0.5% from June to July, although they're still up 9.6% from a year ago. Meat, poultry, and fish increased 9.3% annually. Fruit and veggies is up 6.2 points, although July's costs dipped 4.1% from June. Vegetables NZ Chair, John Murphy, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he thinks we are at the tail end of Cyclone Gabrielle's des...

The Government insists it's not 'forcing change' to close New Zealand's gender pay gap. Instead, Associate Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan says companies are being given the opportunity to outline their gap in pay. She announced today nine-hundred entities —each with more than 250 workers— will need to report their pay gap before the requirement's expanded to organis...

The fatal wildfires in Hawaii's Maui caught thousands of people off guard. At least 53 people are dead and around 11,000 are without power, with the rebuild expected to cost billions. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du-Plessis Allan that a lot of bodies are washing up out of the water. He says the fire was so strong that it jumped the streets and made its way onto boats and the pier,...

A big rebuild job ahead for Maui locals once the wildfires start to ease. At least 53 people are dead and around 11,000 are without power on the island as Hawaii faces one of the worst natural disasters in its history. Former Prime Minister John Key has a property there, but it's not affected. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that having gone through the Christchurch rebuild, he understands the ch...

A fire that tore through Britain's famed 'wonkiest' pub is now being treated as arson, according to police. The Crooked House, located in the Black Country, caught fire over the weekend and had to be bulldozed, angering residents. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the fire brigade sent in a detector dog that sniffed out fire accelerants, which sparked the investigation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio....

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in to discuss the following issues of the day- and more! A Taxpayers' Union funded Curia poll shows Labour's taken another hit- the party's down 4 points to 27 percent. National's up by 1.6 points to to 34.9 per cent and ACT is down slightly to 13. The Greens have also jumped by 3 points to 12 and NZ...

Hundreds of punnets of Zespri kiwifruit have been recalled in the US after routine sampling found listeria. Testing carried out by the Kentucky Department for Public Health last month revealed that one-pound punnets of Zespri kiwifruit wasn't fit for consumption. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the contaminated kiwifruit was sold in 14 states- but no illnesses have been reported. LISTEN ABOVE See...

China's descent into deflation paired with rising prices in New Zealand could spell trouble. Consumer prices in China fell for the first time in over two years, which concerns other economies battling the impact of inflation.  NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says New Zealand exports plenty of products to China- and their economic decline creates risks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/...

A major coup for the Highlanders, with former coach Jamie Joseph re-joining the franchise as the newly-created Head of Rugby. The 53-year-old has signed on for four years and will start his role in February after his Rugby World Cup commitments with Japan. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what Jamie Joseph will do for the Highlanders here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Public-private partnerships have sparked debate, following the release of Health NZ's operating model. The agency's new operating model mentions private sector participation as an investment option for hospitals- but the Government doesn't believe it's an appropriate way to fund health infrastructure. NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff says PPPs are a good deal for private businesses- but haven't wo...

A recent survey of over 1000 dairy, sheep, beef and arable farmers found that industry confidence is at a historic low. The Farmer Confidence survey, conducted in July, found that 1 percent of farmers were satisfied with economic conditions- and over 81 percent of respondents were unsatisfied.  Federated Farmers President Wayne Langford says this is the worst result recorded since the Farmer Confi...

An Auckland bottle store has been shut down after a group of neighbours complained it hadn't lived up to its promise of being boutique. The Sandringham store, Liquids, went to renew its licence and extend its opening hours- but instead had both rejected. Operations Manager Jithin Chittibomma says they're appealing the decision. "We have not broken a single law, we have not broken a single conditio...

Former Cabinet Minister Alfred Ngaro's revealed the motivations behind his political comeback, saying Kiwi voters don't know who to trust. Ngaro's formed a Christian party, to be known as New Zeal, which he'll formally launch tomorrow - just two months shy of election day. He was a minister in Bill English's National Government, and says none of the political parties running for office this year f...

A not-for-profit Kiwisaver provider says it's tough competing in New Zealand's banking market. The Commerce Commission has today revealed the nation's banks are more profitable than overseas counterparts. It's just released an initial review of those profits and plans to investigate whether a lack of competition is the problem. Simplicity co-founder Sam Stubbs says most other OECD countries have o...

ACT wants to overhaul the Sentencing Act and put the victims of crime at the centre of judges' considerations. Under the policy, cultural background reports would no longer be considered as a principle of sentencing. And home detention would only be an option if it didn't impact public safety. ACT Leader David Seymour says this applies to sexual offenders who are on a community based sentence. "At...

A former Cabinet Minister's revealed he's heading back into politics - with just over two months to go until election day. Newstalk ZB revealed Alfred Ngaro has formed a Christian Party, to be known as New Zeal. Ngaro was a minister in Bill English's National Government, but says Christians need a voice which isn't being given by any party at the moment. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Sop...

Speculation is brewing over the intentions of the woman who cooked up a deadly mushroom lunch in Victoria Gail and Don Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson died after having lunch at their ex-daughter-in-law Erin Patterson's home. Heather's husband, Ian, remains in a critical condition. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the ex-husband of the woman, Simon Patterson, claims she once...

Auckland Primary Principals want education to stop being politicised. A survey of 150 schools has found at least 45 minutes a day is currently being taught in each subject of reading, writing and maths. National says it should be at least an hour, but educators say there's no value in that. Auckland Primary Principals' Association president Kyle Brewerton says all parties are spouting ideology to...

ACT’s released its tougher on crime sentencing policy today , and I'll be honest with you - even I'm shocked at how little consideration judges have to pay to victims when they sentence offenders .  ACT has pointed out that at the moment , basically everything is about the offender . Take a look at the sentencing principles in the Sentencing Act : Judges must take into account any particular circu...

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has apologised for mistakenly revealing details of all 10,000 staff members. By human error, the PSNI had shared names of all police and civilian personnel, where they were based and their roles. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this breach puts them at risk of being targeted by republican paramilitaries, and they must be extremely vigilant about their securi...