Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

National's Mark Mitchell says it's hard to swallow an explanation a Labour MP went to a Mongrel Mob hui by mistake. A long-time gang member wrote on Facebook that Taieri MP Ingrid Leary- whose name he didn't add - gate crashed the event. Leary says she thought it was an Electoral Commission meeting, and attending didn't mean she condones the Mongrel Mob's actions. Mitchell says he doesn't buy it- ...

A former Wellington Mayor says elected officials should hold themselves to a high standard. Restaurant patrons claim Wellington mayor Tory Whanau was clearly intoxicated, at a bar on Friday. She forgot to pay her bill and settled up the next day. Kerry Prendergast says ratepayers have been commenting about it to her. "Most of them feel the same as what I'm communicating to you- that you diminish t...

Golfer Daniel Hillier has secured his maiden win on the European Tour, taking out the British Masters at the Belfry. He finished eagle-birdie-eagle-par to shoot a six-under par 66 and finish at 10-under for the tournament, triumphing by two strokes and pocketing $970,000. Sportstalk host Jason Pine breaks down Hillier's impressive performance. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

The Prime Minister says he'll chat with Cabinet Minister Kiri Allan on his return from Europe late next week. Allan returned from mental health leave last week, and this week says she's off work for her kids' school holidays. Media last week alleged tensions in her office - more than a year ago. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it's unclear if Kiri Allan was ordered to take menta...

An economist says rent controls could be a successful short-term solution for cooling an overheating rental market. The Green Party is campaigning on introducing an annual three percent cap for rent increases, alongside a landlord register. The Council of Trade Union's Craig Renney says it must be paired with a major drive to build housing. "Any future price cap legislation becomes irrelevant, bec...

Tory Whanau eh?   I know whose story I believe and it’s not hers. She says she didn’t ask the waiter: “do you know who I am?” . But the bar reckons she did - and they even put that in writing . And another diner called NewstalkZB today to say she also heard the mayor say that.   Two beats one. Especially when the one is the mayor who didn’t remember to pay the bill on the night, which hardly gives...

One of the world's most common artificial sweeteners will be added to the World Health Organisation's 'possibly carcinogenic to humans' list. Sugar replacement Aspartame is found in a range of food, including diet sodas, yoghurt, and chewing gum. But you'd have to consume a large amount for it to be unsafe. Professor of Chemistry at RMIT University in Melbourne Oliver Jones told Heather du Plessis...

Anyone wanting to head north out of Auckland for the school holidays will have to allow more time to get there. State Highway 1 at Dome Valley will remain closed over the weekend, with hopes it'll reopen on Monday, as teams work to clear a slip. The stretch of road has been closed multiple times in the past year. Waka Kotahi spokesperson Jacqui Hori-Hoult told Heather du-Plessis Allan that they've...

Petrol stations are facing a busy afternoon ahead of the fuel tax discount coming off at midnight. Security guards have been managing the queues of cars waiting for petrol ahead of price rises. Once GST is included, it'll mean an extra 29 cents per litre of fuel which could be put back on customers. Gull NZ general manager Dave Bolger told Heather du Plessis-Allan that says people often look for v...

The Ministry of Education is being criticised for its new draft of the science curriculum. The proposal doesn't appear to list physics and chemistry, but instead focuses on climate change, biodiversity, the food-energy-water nexus, and infectious diseases. New Zealand Initiative senior fellow Michael Johnston told Heather du Plessis-Allan that teachers shouldn't be expected to fill in gaps given t...

A Tory London mayoral candidate has dropped out of the race after groping allegations came to light. The accused, Daniel Korski, has denied the allegations made by TV producer Daisy Goodwin, but didn't want the allegations to be a "distraction" for the party. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the incident happened a decade ago, with Goodwin writing an article and receiving responses from multiple o...

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! A group of young offenders climbed onto the roof of a Christchurch Oranga Tamariki youth justice facility and were bribed with KFC to come down. Is this the best way of handling young offenders? Based on recent allegati...

The tide is starting to turn for business confidence, according to new ANZ data. The bank’s latest business confidence survey shows confidence increased by 13 points in June to -18, the highest recorded since November 2021. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner says the increase in migrants filling up staff shortages and the Reserve Bank potentially easing rate hikes have given the business community...

The Government have announced a $240 million funding package set to help out farmers and growers in the North Island. There are two components- the Government will take 80 percent of the risk of a loan to a grower or farmer away from the banks, with a $10 million limit and criteria applying. The Government will also lend up to $4 million to a grower or farmer if they cannot get a loan from a bank....

Kiwis are bracing themselves for the end of the Government's fuel tax subsidy this weekend. Petrol prices are expected to rise by around 29c a litre, but they'll remain lower than the peaks they hit following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says global oil prices have been plunging this year by almost 40 percent- and hopes this can wash the increase out....

Senior Government Minister Kiri Allan is rejecting claims of misconduct in the workplace. Reports emerged yesterday afternoon of several Government departments raising red flags over her working relationships. DOC expressed concern more than a year ago, causing a staffer to leave her office early in a tense scene. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper Kiri Allan is in absolute denial about...

The Black Ferns are determined to maintain a spotless record against the Wallaroos in tonight's Pacific Four series opener in Brisbane. The New Zealand women have never lost to Australia across 23 previous meetings. D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what to expect from this return to the field. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AT's Chief Executive is sounding the alarm over the agency's uncertain revenue model. Speaking to the agency's board meeting on Tuesday, CEO Dean Kimpton called for more certainty in the agency's current funding model. He explained that AT needed to maintain their future investments, the cost to deliver those investments and be clear about what's needed over the next decade. "We've got to put this...

Loyal Warriors punters have been paid off early for betting with their hearts. There's still 10 rounds to go in the NRL regular season, but Webster’s side have already been deemed winners- and TAB has released an early pay-out to celebrate. TAB Head of Betting Nick Conway says they've crunched the numbers and looked ahead to future Warriors matches, and they've declared it. "They've got 4 teams in...

Safety first, is the justification for using KFC to coax five young people off a youth justice facility roof. The group spent almost 24 hours on top of Te Puna Wai o Tuhinapo in Rolleston near Christchurch last Saturday. Former police negotiator Lance Burdett says negotiators see people as people, not for what they've done. "The idea is to de-escalate as quickly as possible. Certainly if people ar...

The Prime Minister’s got a call to make on Kiri Allan , which is to back or cut her . And if history is anything to go by , he's going to make the wrong call, because he’s already made this call twice before and got it wrong. The first time with Stuart Nash, he backed him . Then more stuff came out and he had to get rid of him. The second time with Michael Wood- he backed him , and then more stuff...

Australia's anti-corruption Commission isn't recommending charges against former New South Wales Premier, Gladys Berejiklian. It's today said it found the former Premier was corrupt in her secret relationship with lover and former MP, Daryl Maguire. But the watchdog says Maguire should be charged. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the one-time Wagga Wagga MP was reportedly running a cash-f...

The Local Government Minister is standing by the cost of water reforms. It's now estimated creating 10 new Water Services Entities will cost between $2 billion and $3 billion. The original estimate was about $1 billion lower - because it was for four entities, which later changed. Minister Kieran McAnulty says this will still save New Zealanders money. "We can demonstrate that these reforms will s...

Let's Get Wellington Moving has survived another day. Councillors have voted nine to seven against a No Confidence motion, panning the $7.4 billion plan. It includes scrapping cars in some CBD streets in favour of more green transit. Changes to the Golden Mile - from Lambton Quay to Courtney Place - will also go ahead. NZ Herald reporter Georgina Campbell says mayor Tory Whanau was vocal in today'...

An international survey on work-life balance has placed New Zealand on top. Remote - a human resources services agency - assessed 60 countries, and scored New Zealand a shade under 80 out of 100. It weighed up issues like minimum wage, sick-leave, average working hours and the strength of the economy. Chief Revenue Officer Chris McNamara says New Zealand is a fantastic place to live. "Some of the...