Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Farmers and activists have accused the Ministry of Education of hypocrisy over their decision to install synthetic carpets in rural schools. Campaign for Wool Advocacy Manager Tom Sullivan thinks installing nylon-based carpets goes against the Government's environmental agenda Tom Sullivan also labelled it a 'missed opportunity' to support the rural community, which has been burdened with regulati...

New Zealanders are getting less wealthy and saving less money, according to new Stats NZ data. The region's collective household net worth dropped $42.7 billion or 1.9 per cent, in the March 2023 quarter. The data shows the value of financial assets also fell, by $8.3 billion. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says falling house prices and reversing pandemic stimulus are the key factors...

The Minister for Indigenous Australians has voiced concerns about the tactics utilised by opponents to the Indigenous voice. Minister Linda Burney has urged the public to carefully consider their ballot and accused Opposition leader Peter Dutton of 'bullyboy tactics' to mislead voters. Burney also stressed the importance of not letting the main no campaign get away with 'Trump-style politics' and...

The Government's decision to install synthetic carpet in 800 rural schools has been met with backlash. The Ministry of Education has selected US nylon manufacturer Milliken to provide the carpet, opting against using New Zealand wool. New Zealand's farming community and the Green Party have voiced disapproval, but the Ministry have defended their decision. ZB senior political correspondent Barry S...

The All Blacks team will be announced at 3:30 tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, Chiefs halfback Brad Weber and Highlanders skipper Billy Harmon have been named as co-captains for the All Blacks 15 ahead of their match against a Japan 15 in Tokyo this weekend. Sportstalk host Jason Pine shares his predictions for tomorrow's lineup. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has been forced to backtrack after providing the Hawke’s Bay horticultural industry with incorrect information about its cyclone relief scheme. Officials informed farmers and growers that the scheme would offer lending terms of 7 percent, but this claim was walked back following outcry. National's Tukituki candidate Catherine Wedd says the uncertainty and confusion has caused grower...

11 percent of mortgage holders responding to a survey have said they'll likely need to sell in the next 12 months. That's according to an opt-in Horizon Research survey on the impact of higher interest rates. About 70 percent are worried repayments could be unaffordable. Principal researcher Graeme Colman says right now, just over a million mortgages are fixed. He says they're the ones for whom in...

A social media giant  is taking on Twitter. The owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp - Meta - is launching a new app called Threads in New Zealand. It's seen as a direct competitor to Elon Musk's Twitter, and offers a text-based version of Instagram. Tech commentator Paul Stenhouse says it's still a bare-bones app. "There's no chronological feed, there's nothing you can kind of switch betwee...

Fog cannons don't always stop robberies. An Auckland dairy owner's wife and a customer were injured by robbers with hammers at Jyoti's Dairy in Mount Roskill yesterday. The criminals fled with tobacco and cash. Sandringham Business Association's Jithin Chittibomma says fog cannons don't stop violent attacks. "It works as a deterrent for young criminals, maybe, but not these kind of criminals who'v...

A former NRL captain thinks it's unfair that the Rugby League Players Association is taking advantage of media to send a message. The RLPA has implemented a player media boycott from now until after next Wednesday's State Of Origin to protest the lack of action on a new collective bargaining agreement with the NRL. Former Kiwis captain and league commentator Richie Barnett says media is an importa...

As sorry as I feel for people who’ve been scammed out of cash , and I do , I don’t think banks should be forced to refund them . There’s quite a successful scam going around at the moment involving a text purporting to come from New Zealand and quite a few scam victims have spoken to media in the last few days. The guy who was in Australia for work got a text purporting to be from BNZ saying his a...

The private UK bank Coutts has reportedly shut down Nigel Farage’s account after he fell below wealth requirements. The former UKIP leader says the closure was due to his status as a 'politically exposed person' and claims in the Commons that he had received payments from broadcaster Russia Today. UK correspondent Kay Oliver says the UK Treasury has launched an investigation into these claims. LIS...

Tonight on The Huddle, Ben Thomas from Ben Thomas PR and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Prime Minister's Chief Science Advisor warned in a new report that New Zealand cannot arrest its way out of the gang problem and there's no quick, simple way out of reducing gang harm. Is this sensible advice? What...

Export prices for meat and logs tumbled in June as slower-than-expected Chinese economic growth impacted demand. The ANZ World Commodity Price Index fell 2.3 percent month on month in June, but the meat and fibre index dropped 7.8 percent. Infometrics Chief Economist Gareth Kiernan says weak demand across Europe and China paired with increased supply from Australia and South Africa created a 'perf...

The local share market has had a lacklustre first half of 2023, but the tide may soon turn. Milford Asset Management Portfolio Manager Sam Trethewey says investors have had a lot to digest this year, but the strong return of migration and dwindling rate hikes show a clear path forward. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to the Government's latest accounts, businesses paid 10.7 per cent less tax than expected in the 11 months to May. The Crown received $2 billion less in corporate tax than the Treasury forecasted at the May Budget. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says it's been 48 days since the Government delivered a forecast and being off target already is not a good sign. LISTEN...

Over the last decade, the Fourth of July weekend has seen more mass shootings than any other time of the year. A gunman wearing a bulletproof vest killed 5 and wounded 2 more in Philadelphia, 3 were shot and 8 were injured in Fort Worth, Texas and 30 were harmed at a Baltimore block party over the holiday. US correspondent Katherine Firkin says July 4th is one of the riskiest days in the US, as ma...

An author behind the revised science curriculum maintains that physics and chemistry will still be taught in the classroom. The new draft focuses on contexts - the Earth system, biodiversity, food-energy-water, and infectious diseases. Waikato University Senior Research Fellow Cathy Buntting says the new curriculum will repackage the basics in a context-based approach that teachers aren't used to...

Online grocery provider Supie is looking to open high-technology unmanned stores which will be open 24 hours daily. The online alternative supermarket has been running for two years and delivers to Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Rotorua. The plan is for an app to unlock the door of the store when a customer enters, with cameras picking up the items you take and the app charging your card at...

New Zealand cannot arrest its way out of the gang problem. That's according to a report by the Chief Science Advisory - requested to inform policy for reducing gang harm. It instead calls for improvements in addressing related factors such as family harm, youth offending and drug use. Co-author Tracey McIntosh says legal action over simply being associated with gangs causes collateral damage. "Tha...

Here’s hoping Police National Headquarters is listening to the Government’s Chief Science Advisor following her report into gangs. Because by the looks of things... she’s taking a stronger position on gangs than they are. This might surprise you, because Juliet Gerrard is, after all, the Chief Science Advisor to the Labour Government, who just got endorsed by the Mongrel Mob’s Harry Tam. And it’s...

Oranga Tamariki is having a hard look at staff working in its youth justice facilities. Four staff have been stood down for allowing an MMA-style fight. The department is also dealing with sexual misconduct allegations against staff and youth escaping onto the roofs of two facilities. Oranga Tamariki deputy CEO Tusha Penny, says the employment of those four staff is under review. "We now know that...

A former Reserve Bank economist's dampening worries about a deterioration in the Government coffers. Treasury's latest Crown accounts show the tax take for the 11 months to May was $2.2 billion lower than expected. Meanwhile, debt is more than $5 billion dollars greater than anticipated. Michael Reddell says we shouldn't overdo concerns - and forecasting is a tough game. "So it's weaker than expec...

The Government books are looking worse for wear, with Treasury releasing concerning financial statements. The Crown accounts for the 11 months ending May show the tax take was $2.2 billion lower than expected, with the deficit being $2.1 billion higher than forecast. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Grant Robertson has tried to put a positive spin on the news by saying the loss w...

Some Springboks will get a head start on the All Blacks for next week's Rugby Championship test at Mount Smart. A dozen players are skipping the Wallabies fixture this week to jet to New Zealand early. The All Blacks decided against the tactic, and have all players in Mendoza ahead of Sunday morning's test against Argentina. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio....