Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Inflation is falling - but costs remain high for New Zealanders. The Consumers Price Index rose six percent in the year to June. It's a fall from the 6.7 for the 12 months to March. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says fuel prices have dropped - but other essentials continue to rise. "Some of that heat across the entire economy is coming out, but there's a very hot core of inflation tha...

The Justice Minister's revealed a new law and order strategy to cut down on youth crime. The Government launched a new legal ram-raiding offence - and 12 and 13 year olds could face the charge in the youth court. Minister Kiri Allan says these new policies targeting ram-raiders build on from earlier crime prevention measures. "What that does is- it allows for 12 and 13 year olds to be charged in t...

Kiwis are being urged to get behind the Women's World Cup, which kicks off tomorrow. Ticket sales have met expectations with 1.5 million people set to attend the 64 matches across the tournament. But FIFA president Gianni Infantino wants New Zealanders to "seize the moment", with Australia selling nearly triple the amount of tickets so far. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTE...

Question marks over an American soldier who went into North Korea without authority. He crossed the border as he was being escorted back to the US for disciplinary action. He's the first American detained in the North in nearly five years. Asia Political Risk Analyst Ross Feingold says they don't know what consequences he'll face. "Whether or not North Korea's going to treat him as some crazy tour...

Well, the Consumer Price Index is 6 percent. The numbers were out this morning and I think with 6 percent, we can say with confidence that, barring disaster, headline inflation in New Zealand has peaked. From the post-pandemic high of 7.3 percent a year ago, we’ve now recorded 3 successive quarters of data heading in the right direction. I think we can call it a trend. Today’s number isn’t surpris...

The summer holidays have begun in England and Wales- and many travellers are staring down the barrel of huge queues at Dover. Cross-Channel ferry passengers are expected to endure waiting times of two and a half hours between 6am and 1pm. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this is due to post-Brexit passport checking measures lengthening expected delays. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

Tonight on The Huddle, Taxpayers' Union Executive Director Jordan Williams and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Victoria has pulled the plug on hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games, with Premier Daniel Andrews citing ballooning costs as the reason for terminating the contract. Is this the beginning of the end for the Games? Are they wo...

Rural economists are less than optimistic about the expected results in the GDT auction. Falling global dairy prices, adverse weather conditions and surging grain prices following Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Initiative are contributing to a negative outlook. The Country's Jamie Mackay says all agricultural commodity prices are taking a hit- including meat, milk, and horticulture. LISTEN...

ACT co-founder Roger Douglas has turned his back on his former party, claiming they “represent only the wealthy”. Douglas voiced opposition for ACT's reluctance to end 'bracket creep'- which increases tax paid by average wage and salary earners because doing so would require higher taxes on wealthier people. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says Roger Douglas had a clear libertarian v...

The Victorian Government is under fire after pulling the pin on hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The state has withdrawn after cost estimates blew out to at least $6 billion from an initial $2.6 billion estimate. Australian correspondent Murray Olds suspects that Daniel Andrews may have backed out to alleviate the Victorian cost-of-living crisis. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Another chapter in the saga of former Labour Minister Michael Wood and his failure to disclose shareholdings. Speaker Adrian Rurawhe today referred Wood to the Privileges Committee. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says it comes after a damning report on Wood's actions. "It says his conduct 'cast a shadow over the trust and confidence that the public are entitles to expect of their elected...

The Green Party plans to table an amendment to the Therapeutic Products Bill to ban advertising for prescription medicines. New Zealand and the United States are the only two countries that allow unrestricted advertising of branded prescription medication. Green Party health spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March says pharmaceutical advertisements do not equip the public with the information that the...

Netball NZ's Chief Executive has expressed disappointment over Victoria's withdrawal from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth games. Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews informed the Commonwealth Games authorities that the estimated $6 billion cost was too prohibitively expensive. CEO Jennie Wyllie says the Commonwealth Games are a unique and special experience for the New Zealand team.  "Normally when we go...

Assurances taxpayers won't bear the brunt of costs from a landslide threatening the new Pūhoi-Warkworth motorway. Cracks have appeared in concrete barriers and it's possible sections of land are moving under the one-month-old road. Transport Minister David Parker says he's expecting a briefing, and this could potentially be a safety risk for motorists. Waka Kotahi has acknowledged it knew the land...

An irate Rodney ratepayer is firing back against the 'ridiculous' charges laid by Auckland Council consultants. Dave Crow has identified several inflated costs incurred across two resource consent applications, including a $197.40 bill for forwarding an email. He says he had an advantage in this situation- and somebody had to take a stand.   "I'm just a ratepayer for the property, I'm not someone...

The High Court at Christchurch has heard evidence from Graham Dickason at his wife's murder trial. Lauren Dickason admits killing their daughters in Timaru in 2021 - a six-year old and two-year-old twins, but she's mounting a defence of insanity and infanticide. Her husband told the court via audio visual link from South Africa about his wife’s anxiety, depression and struggles with fertility and...

Victoria withdrawing from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games has sparked debate about the event's future. The Victorian Government have pulled the pin after cost estimates blew out to at least $6 billion dollars. Australian sports correspondent Jim Dolan says suggestions this could be the beginning of the end for the Games - may be wrong. "Craig Phillips has come out very quickly saying the Games...

Victoria has pulled the pin on hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the state can't afford to host the event after estimated costs ballooned out from $2.6 billion to over $6 billion. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countdown will start changing its signage back to the Woolworths name from next month. The supermarket has announced the $400 million transformation programme will include a rebrand and a refreshed loyalty scheme. Countdown and Woolworths Group NZ Manging Director Spencer Sonn says this rebrand is a material investment that will transform the business. "We've got a lot of old stores we need to upg...

I’m one of these people who every four years, vacillates over the value of the Commonwealth Games. ‘They’re outdated!’ I think, before the competition starts. ‘They’re a relic of the past!’ ‘What’s the point in sending our best athletes to a global competition that's missing 130 countries?’ But then, truthfully, the competition begins and inevitably, I lean in. A couple of golds in a couple of unl...

Russia has taken control of the Russian subsidiaries of beer company Carlsberg and yoghurt maker Danone. Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed the units under "temporary management" of the state, following rule changes from Moscow earlier this year. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says these rules allow Russia to seize assets from "unfriendly" countries- ones that halted support during the invas...

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar and former Labour Chief of Staff and Director at Mike Munro Communications, Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! School leaders are expecting staffing challenges for Term 3 as the teaching staff shortage continues to worsen. Is this going to impact voters come October? The G...

The UK has formally signed up to the CPTPP trade deal this weekend- with China and Ukraine still waiting. China applied to join in 2021, but NZME business commentator says there are geopolitical factors holding them back. She says China will bring plenty to the table if they join- but it's unlikely to happen anytime soon. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac economists predict that the Reserve Bank isn't done hiking up the OCR. The RBNZ has indicated through forecasts in the May Monetary Policy Statement that they don't see the OCR going up further than 5.5 percent. Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says it's going to be difficult getting inflation to go down to the target range of 3 percent within their 18-month timeframe. LISTEN ABOVE  ...

The Finance Minister denies New Zealand has undergone a mood-shift away from Labour. A just-released One News-Verian poll shows the right-bloc could form a Government with National on 35 and Act on 12. Labour's 33 percent, the Greens gained a sizeable three-point boost to 10 and Te Pāti Māori's gained one point to 3 percent. Minister Grant Robertson says matters will come into clearer focus as we...