Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Over in the UK, polls have opened in three parliamentary seats where byelections are being held- and Rishi Sunak is less than enthusiastic.  In the leadup, Sunak was downcast about his party's electoral prospects, following low polling data and earlier revelations in the Partygate report. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the shadow of Boris Johnson still hangs over Sunak's party. LISTEN ABOVE See...

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Health Minister Ayesha Verrall is under fire for admitting her office withheld information from being announced because it may have interfered with other Government announcements. Is this a sign of a bigger issue? A 24-...

Wheat prices soared by 8 percent overnight after Ukrainian ports were hit by Russian missiles. Rabobank senior grains analyst Dennis Voznesenski says this rise in overseas wheat prices will likely have a direct impact on local New Zealand wheat import prices. The Country's Jamie Mackay says New Zealand relies on imported wheat to make bread, and this will add extra strain during an important perio...

Meta's launch of Threads has left analysts and experts wondering what this new platform will do for the company's bottom line. Threads has generated over 100 million sign ups in less than a week and made Meta's shares jump by 6 percent. Fisher Funds senior portfolio manager Sam Dickie says Threads generated plenty of excitement in the early days, and will likely boost earnings down the line. LISTE...

Cheese prices still remain high- and they may be responsible for inflation being stubbornly high. Stats NZ singled cheese prices out as being one of the culprits responsible for a 6 per cent increase in the Consumers Price Index for the June year. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says cheese prices are still high despite a fall in GDT auction prices- and demand is clearly high. LISTEN...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins struck a sombre tone when addressing this morning's deadly shooting in Auckland CBD. Two people were killed and multiple people injured when a gunman opened fire in building that was being renovated on lower Queen Street. ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says Hipkins was clearly emotional, but made it clear that the situation was contained and there was no threat to New...

Australia's Commonwealth Games chief is questioning the sums that led to Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews backing out of hosting the event. Daniel Andrews made this announcement yesterday, claiming the ballooning costs of hosting were too much. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Daniel Andrews  is refusing to elaborate on how the costs blew up into over $6 billion. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudi...

Farmers are delighted to see a taxpayer top up towards more ambitious Fonterra climate goals. Fonterra is putting up to $790 million towards halving manufacturing emissions by 2030, and the Government's adding an extra $90 million. Federated Farmers President Wayne Langford says most Kiwis should appreciate these moves to reduce emissions. "I think it'll be a huge step forward. I think Fonterra ar...

National's health spokesperson is suspicious of Ayesha Verrall's requested delay in publishing correct clinical performance data. The Health Minister had corrected an answer to Parliament, admitting her office stopped data being released because of the timing of other Government announcements. Shane Reti says there's something murky surrounding Ayesha Verrall's request, comparing it to Jan Tinetti...

Hundreds of moviegoers are flocking to theatres to catch the highly anticipated Barbie movie. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, Kiwi fans are excited enough to dress on theme, with Afterpay data showing sales for pink clothes and shoes are skyrocketing. Auckland's Silky Otter Cinemas is among the solidly booked movie theatres across the country, and manager Tyson Pula is pleased with the ne...

The FIFA Women's World Cup opening ceremony is kicking off at Auckland's Eden Park shortly. A moment of silence will be held to mark today's shooting, and the FIFA Fan Festival at Auckland's waterfront will open tomorrow at noon instead The opening game of the tournament is between New Zealand and Norway at 7pm. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/li...

Police are continuing to work hard following the shooting in downtown Auckland. Two people were killed and 10 were injured when a gunman opened fire in a building that was being renovated on lower Queen Street this morning. Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says there's still a lot to do. "We're working to identify victims and notifying next of kin for our two people who were shot. So that's all s...

The Police Minister says it is far too early to know if any Government agencies could have stopped today's shooting. Ginny Andersen says the police, justice and corrections ministries will be looking into the situation. "Today, all those organisations will be undertaking a full review of exactly what happened here to particularly understand if there were any flags that were missed." LISTEN ABOVE S...

Where to start? It’s just awful, it’s hideous, it is traumatic and I think deeply unsettling for all of us to see an event like this morning’s play out in New Zealand. For the most part, we are very fortunate to live in a country where these active shooter events are relatively uncommon. I think most of us feel sick for the families of those who have been killed or injured today. Those people who...

Two civilians are dead and ten are injured after a shooting attack in downtown Auckland CBD. The 24-year-old gunman stormed a Britomart building under construction just before 7:30 this morning. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown says this is something that we're not used to. "It is safe to be here, it's a shock to Aucklanders. We all feel terribly upset and sad for the people whose families and lives hav...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Ben Thomas from Ben Thomas PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says the Government's creating a new offence targeting ram raid offending and allowing 12 and 13 year olds to be charged in the youth court. Is there any merit to these changes?  The Consumers Price Ind...

UK inflation has cooled more than economists predicted and dropped to 7.9 percent. Experts had forecasted a drop to 8.2 percent, following a higher than expected 8.7 percent in May. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says declining fuel prices contributed to the decrease, but supermarket prices remain stubbornly high. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US earnings season for the June quarter is officially underway. Economists warned of a recession risk in the lead up, but those concerns have since moderated. Milford Asset Management Portfolio Manager Felix Fok says the US economy is facing similar issues to other developed economies- interest rates and moderating cost pressures are on the rise. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

The inflation rate is headed in the right direction, but the Reserve bank won't be cutting interest rates anytime soon. New figures out today show the annual inflation rate has fallen to 6 per cent for the year to June, from 6.7 per cent in the year to March. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says inflation rates are on par with what the RBNZ is expecting- but the battle to reb...

New Microsoft Teams data reveals 4pm til 6pm is the new workday 'dead zone' for employees. The data shows that employees have maintained their lockdown-era flexibility to control their own hours and more leave the office early to fulfil outside obligations. Massey university Human Resource Management professor says employers stand to benefit from these changes, as some employees return in the even...

A new offence for young people is the latest announcement in the Government's retail crime crackdown. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins says the Government's creating a new offence targeting ram raider and allowing 12 and 13 year olds to be charged in the youth court. ZB political editor Jason Walls says this announcement is long overdue, as ram raids have been a problem for two years too long. LISTEN...

The Christchurch trial of a woman accused of murdering her young children in Timaru in 2021 has concluded its third day. Lauren Dickason admits killing her daughters, but denies it was murder, by reason of insanity and infanticide. Husband Graham Dickason has been cross examined in the High Court about her relationship with the girls. The Herald's Anna Leask says the jury also heard details about...

The Government promised their modified investor visa scheme would draw high-value investors into New Zealand's economy. Nine months later, only one visa has been approved under the scheme- to a person who was already in the country. Immigration Minister Andrew Little says the new Active Investor Plus Visa is designed to encourage wealthy foreigners to use their investments to benefit New Zealand....

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau is under fire for breaching the council's tenancy agreement by bringing her dog to work. Reports claim Whanau has been bringing her staffordshire bull terrier, Teddy, into her Central Wellington office, despite the lease agreement forbidding animals on the premises. Wellington City Councillor Nicola Young says other councillors who own dogs feel like there shouldn't be...

Donald Trump could be facing more legal action. The former US President claims he has been notified of a Grand Jury investigation of the January 2021 attack on the Capitol building. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Trump's posted on social media, saying he has four days to report to the jury. "Which almost always means an indictment or an arrest, we don't know exactly what the charges would be...