Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Police have been brought in to bolster Ōpōtiki's small contingent ahead of a gang tangi tomorrow. The Bay of Plenty town has had an influx of members since a Mongrel Mob leader died on Friday. Ōpōtiki College has chosen to close this week, and other schools have also shut. Bus services were impacted today and the library closed its doors. Acting Area Commander Tristan Murray says they expect to ha...

Chris Luxon's not backing down from calling New Zealand 'wet and whiny', but clarified he was referring to the Government. The National Leader was heard telling a farmer the country had become negative, wet, whiny and inward-looking and had 'lost the plot'. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon will understand he'll be picked up on any side comments he makes by the media. "I'v...

There are warnings New Zealand's social cohesion is straining at the seams. According to a report by Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures, rising polarisation stems from a wider breakdown of trust, as demonstrated by the 2022 Parliament occupation. Former Chief Science Advisor and report co-author Sir Peter Gluckman says society can't work without some form of cohesion. "What happens is we find...

Scotland's former former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has been released without charge after an earlier arrest. Sturgeon was arrested as part of an investigation into financial irregularities by the Scottish National Party. She took to social media to share her shock at the arrest and confirm her innocence in the matter. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says at least $1.5 million was given to the SNP...

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! Chris Luxon is under fire for describing New Zealand as a 'negative, wet, whiny, inward-looking country' that has 'lost the plot'. How does this look? Does he make any good points? Will this appeal to voters? National ha...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins is set to go to China at the end of the month. This trip will be the first Prime Minister-led delegation there since 2019, and Hipkins is expected to visit Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says it's likely Chris Hipkins will meet President Xi Jinping and several key ministers. "The details will probably come out next week. Norm...

Hurricanes coach Jason Holland has questioned the role of television match officials in the wake of his side's Super Rugby exit. They were denied progressing to the semi-finals by what some consider was a match-winning try for Ardie Savea in the last play against the Brumbies. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further- and why he agrees with Holland's assessment. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/...

The causes of a fatal bus crash in New South Wales won't be known for some time. 10 people are dead and 25 others injured after a bus carrying wedding guests rolled in the Hunter Valley. The 58-year-old driver has been arrested and charges are pending. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says investigations are underway into the weather conditions and the state of the driver. LISTEN ABOVE See...

The Government says it's committed to working with farmers in the wake of National's newly announced emissions policy. If elected, National would push back the start date for farmers paying for emissions to 2030. Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor says Federated Farmers has walked away from He Waka Eke Noa, the Government's emissions policy, but other groups are still on board. O'Connor says Lab...

Secondary school teachers are inspiring mass frustration over their plan to resume striking. These teachers voted to reject the Government's latest collective agreement offers. They're refusing to teach two levels each day, from Monday to Thursday over the next three weeks. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the Government's latest offer makes 'significant progress' for teachers, and the primar...

Charges are expected to be laid after the driver involved in a fatal NSW coach crash was arrested. The coach rolled into the Hunter Valley, killing 10 people and injuring another 25 at 11.30pm on Sunday night. Taylor Ryan, a reporter from Australia's 10 News says investigations are still in the early stages, and police have only just rolled the coach upright. "Now that it's upright, I think they'l...

Retail card spending fell $113 million last month, compared to April - across all industries. Stats NZ data shows the largest contributor to the 1.7 percent drop was fuel, down $25 million, followed by apparel, which fell $13 million. Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod says it's a weaker result than expected. "We thought those increases in migration, as well as those increases in prices, wou...

The Regional Development Minister says Mount Ruapehu is highly likely to open for skiing this year. The Government has decided to split the running of the mountain's ski fields and is supporting two bidders to take over. Whakapapa Holdings and Pure Tūroa Limited are now expected to purchase the assets and business from Ruapehu Alpine Lifts. Minister Kiri Allan says only two more barriers are left...

The Opposition's given more explanation for for why it's kicking emissions pricing down the road. National has today proposed an on-farm, pricing plan by 2030, five years later than the Government and industry plan. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has already hit back, saying National has no idea how to get to net zero by 2050 - and is treating the climate with contempt. But National agriculture spok...

I really hate wealth taxes. I hate them even more than I hate capital gains taxes . Because at least with a capital gains tax , you have sold the asset, so you made some money and can use that money to pay the tax . With a wealth tax, you haven’t sold anything. You're just getting taxed because the house you live in and the assets you own are worth enough to tax . And so you need to start paying ,...

The Green Party have unveiled their wide-ranging tax and income policy ahead of October's election. To keep low-income Kiwis above the breadline, the Greens proposed a top tax rate of 45 percent on income over $180,000 and a 2.5 percent wealth tax on assets worth more than $2 million. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Labour and the Greens will need each other this election if t...

A newly purchased domain name and IP filings may allow NZ Rugby to stream their own games. NZ Rugby claimed the URL nzrplus.co.nz on April 11th, 2023. While not live yet, this indicates the organisation will broadcast games to fans directly.  Spinoff founder Duncan Greive, who broke the original story, says NZR stated they weren't going to charge for games in the immediate term- but the current de...

There’s speculation of a possible $1m-plus advance for Dame Jacinda Ardern as she sets her eyes on a book deal for her autobiography. Dame Jacinda has yet to confirm which publishing house the deal is with, although Penguin is thought to be the front runner for New Zealand and Australia. Publishing experts say most advances here are generally between $5000 and $10,000. Time Out Bookstore Manager J...

There’s speculation of a possible $1m-plus advance for Dame Jacinda Ardern as she sets her eyes on a book deal for her autobiography. Dame Jacinda has yet to confirm which publishing house the deal is with, although Penguin is thought to be the front runner for New Zealand and Australia. Publishing experts say most advances here are generally between $5000 and $10,000. Time Out Bookstore Manager J...

Sky Sport is increasing its price as its competitor Spark Sport is closing down. From July 1st, the price of a Sky Sport Now Annual Pass will increase by 12.5%, going from $399 to $449. CEO of Gorilla Technology Paul Spain told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that it's a mix of inflation and the cost of the additional content Sky will acquire. He says that some customers may be willing to pay more as Spa...

For all Wayne Brown’s faults, and there are many, you have got to be impressed with what he’s managed to do in eight months as Auckland’s Mayor . He’s just managed to convince his council to sell 7% of Auckland Airport’s shares, this is out of the 18% the council held, when half of the council did not want to do this at all. This from the guy we are told is aggressive, grumpy, rude, is apparently...

An emotional end to two days of debate at Auckland Council. Councillors and Mayor Wayne Brown have voted 14 in favour, with six against and one abstention to pass a budget. It will see seven percent of the council's Auckland Airport shares sold, and a 7.7 percent rates rise for the average household. Manukau Ward Councillor Lotu Fuli told Heather du Plessis-Allan that when it was all said and done...

Donald Trump has made history as the first former President to face criminal charges in a federal court. He's facing charges for allegedly taking classified documents when he left the White House, and tried to get in the way of officials when they asked for them back. It comes just months after he was indicted on criminal charges by a grand jury in New York. Newshub US Correspondent Mitch McCann t...

Wellington Water's Chair says the region's Councils are doing everything they can to fix leaky pipes. Campbell Barry is warning of severe water shortages over the summer months. Barry, who's also the Mayor of Lower Hutt, says the issue is on councillors’' radars. He says the region's Councils have increased their investment across the board, and basically every spare dollar in Wellington Water is...

Prince Harry has revealed he took Mirror Group to court in order to protect Meghan Markle. The Duke of Sussex today told the High Court he wanted to defend Meghan from abuse, hatred and intrusion- without involving the Royal Family's legal team. UK correspondent Enda Brady says it was an emotional day of testimony, as the royal entered his final day on the witness stand. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystu...