Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The opposition parties have been accused of politicising Kiri Allan's mental health crisis, but ACT's David Seymour says that's not the case. MPs across the house have been debating Kiri Allan's resignation from Cabinet and her decision to not stand in the 2023 election. Leader David Seymour says Kiri Allan has been subject to a tragic sequence of personal events- but Parliament still needs to add...

The Football Ferns match against the Philippines is kicking off at Wellington Regional Stadium. Azaria Howell is at the capital's waterfront FIFA Fan-zone. She says everyone is very excited. "All wearing football shirts, some people with flags, people cheering, people watching on- it is such an incredible vibe and just so much happiness going around Wellington." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/lis...

Lauren Dickason told police she hadn't felt normal for months before killing her children in Timaru. A jury at the High Court in Christchurch has watched her police interview, filmed the day after the deaths. She admits the killings but says it wasn't murder, with a defence of insanity and infanticide. The Herald's Anna Leask says Dickason told police she'd been "thinking about it... for a while."...

25-year-old Rafferty Rolfe has been charged with three counts of murder after a serious highway fatality in Queensland. Rolfe is accused of pursuing a Nissan Navara ute driven by retiree Terry Bishop and carrying passenger Gypsy Satterley. Both were killed in the crash along with Jessica Townley, who was driving the Great Wall. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Rolfe was after Gypsy Satter...

Kiri Allan has confirmed she won't be standing for re-election. The East Coast MP signalled she was quitting politics in an emotional post - saying she let down the Labour Party, the Prime Minister and New Zealanders. ZB political editor Jason Walls says he wouldn't bet on Kiri Allan returning to politics, as it's hard to return once you're out. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

No changes from the Football Ferns for this evening's World Cup group A clash against the Philippines in Wellington. It'll be the same line-up that beat Norway in the tournament opener. Kick-off is at 5.30. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what we can expect from both teams tonight.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A shaken motorist had handguns pointed at him while driving down the Waikato Expressway over the weekend. Noah Hutchinson was driving to Hamilton from Woodhill when a car pulled up next to him and two passengers shouted at him to take the next exit- while pointing weapons. He says the thieves were probably after his motorbike, and he slowed to catch up with the cars behind him to avoid a scene. "I...

Two more Greek islands, Evia and Corfu, are evacuating travellers as wildfires sweep the region for the sixth day. Over 19,000 people have already been evacuated from Rhodes, 16,000 by land and 3,000 by sea, with no casualties. The Greek Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection has described it as the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country”. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the b...

Tonight on The Huddle, current affairs commentator Josie Pagani and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Former Justice Minister has quit Cabinet after being charged with careless use of a vehicle and refusing to accompany an officer last night. Ginny Andersen has picked up her portfolio this afternoon. What does this men f...

There are growing calls for Labour to arrange a snap election following Kiri Allan's arrest and resignation. Kiri Allan is the latest Minister to depart following Stuart Nash and Michael Wood exiting after getting caught up in controversy. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan believes Chris Hipkins needs to put the current Labour Government out of its misery with an early election. "It's stil...

Thousands of causal workers in Australia could be on the path to permanent employment thanks to new proposed changes. Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says the proposal would close a loophole allowing companies to treat casuals like permanent employees without giving them benefits of secure employment. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says some workers will still want the flexibilit...

Twitter's famous blue bird logo is set to fly away to be replaced with a new symbol. Owner Elon Musk confirmed he plans to change the platform's logo to a letter X, marking the latest significant rebrand for the social media company. Social media commentator Vaughn Davis says this change is terrible from a branding perspective, but it could be the start of an expanded future for the platform. "I t...

The Finance Minister says he's been texting back and forth with Kiri Allan over the past day. Allan quit Cabinet this morning - after being charged with careless use of a vehicle and refusing to accompany an officer last night. The MP for East Coast has been dealing with mental health challenges in recent months. Minister Grant Robertson says Kiri has publicly recognised the need to be held accoun...

On the surface, Barbie and Oppenheimer may seem like opposites, but they're bringing in the crowds together. Both movies opened in theatres on the same day and filmgoers have felt inspired to purchase tickets for a 'Barbenheimer' double bill. Auckland University marketing professor Mike Lee says the 'Barbenheimer' experience has brought two different audiences together and increased the market sha...

A suggestion the economics in ACT's latest transport policy won't stack up. The Party says it would fund roading infrastructure with toll roads and more public-private partnerships. Greater Auckland Director Matt Lowrie says today's cost of construction means there's no way tolls could pay it off. "Look at something like Transmission Gully- you'd probably be looking at a toll of around $20 per car...

A man accused of kidnapping a Christchurch real estate agent had reportedly booked a one-way flight overseas. 44-year-old Harcourts employee Yanfei Bao was last seen in Wigram, on Wednesday. Her cellphone was found on the Southern Motorway on Friday. A 52-year-old Bryndwr man appeared in court today, understood to have been arrested at Christchurch Airport. The Herald's Sam Sherwood says Bao's hus...

Kiri Allan's arrest has raised questions about Labour's chances in the upcoming election. Ginny Andersen has taken over as Justice Minister from Kiri Allan - who was charged with careless use of a motor vehicle and refusing to accompany a police officer in Wellington last night. She's the latest Minister exiting Cabinet in recent months, following Stuart Nash and Michael Wood. Former Labour Chief...

Kiri Allan has resigned all her portfolios after being charged with reckless driving and resisting arrest following a car crash. The Prime Minister today confirmed the former Justice Minister was taken into custody after the crash on Evans Bay Parade in Roseneath just after 9pm. She was charged with reckless driving and resisting arrest, and was released about 1am. ZB senior political corresponden...

Swimmer Erika Fairweather welcomes the strength of her 400-metre freestyle peers in the build-up to next year's Paris Olympics. The 19-year-old's claimed bronze at the world championships in Japan, becoming the fifth woman to go under four minutes in the discipline. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains this accomplishment further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Bar Association is warning against misinformed anger at the judiciary following Thursday's Auckland shooting. The revelation that the 24-year-old shooter was serving five months’ home detention following domestic violence charges has been met with questions and criticism. Bar Association Criminal Committee co-chair James Rapley KC says it's normal for offenders who commit domestic...

Two men who were charged alongside Mama Hooch rapists Danny and Roberto Jaz have been granted permanent name suppression, to avoid being “stigmatized” by their connection to the case. Senior Political Reporter Anna Leask told Jack Tame that one of the men was acquitted on the single charge he was facing, and the other was acquitted on all but offering to supply a class C drug. She said that the Ju...

How fricking good? I watched the Football Ferns on my phone last night as I drove from Auckland to Rotorua. Streaming it from the passenger seat as we zipped along the Waikato expressway. I can’t think of a time when I’ve been more anxious for the 4G reception to hold out. And talk about adding new meaning to ‘Are We There Yet’? Those last nine minutes of additional time felt like ninety. We neede...

A targeted intelligence-gathering campaign by China-based hackers has resulted in the email account of Nicholas Burns, US Ambassador to China, being breached. The hackers also accessed the accounts of the assistant Secretary of State for East Asia, Daniel Kritenbrink, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Jack Tame that these attacks seem to be happening almost...

National says the Government needs to scrap its 30-percent inmate reduction target. A 24-year-old on home detention for domestic violence fatally shot two workmates at an Auckland building site yesterday. He was permitted to work at the site, wearing a monitoring anklet. He died after a police shootout. National's Paul Goldsmith told Jack Tame that people convicted of violent crimes are ending up...

History was made at Eden Park on Thursday night. New Zealand scored its first victory at a Fifa World Cup — beating Norway 1-nil. Striker Hannah Wilkinson scored in the second half, snatching the victory for the Ferns. She said they just knew it was going to happen, that the belief that they had to put one away and that was the moment to do so. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...