Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed he will be meeting King Charles III during his visit to London for the coronation.  Hipkins will also meet his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak at Downing Street to advance the Fair Trade Agreement between the two countries. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says this trip will be important for Hipkins, because the bilateral FTA may be nudged forward by...

The National Party and tax experts are predicting a capital gains tax is likely after the release of the IRD report.  On Wednesday, an IRD report confirmed that New Zealand's wealthiest families paid a median tax rate of 9.4 per cent, half of what middle-income Kiwis paid. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says this report wasn't meant to test the waters for a capital gains tax, despite David Parke...

The Chiefs are eight points clear at the top of the Super Rugby Pacific standings after beating the defending champion Crusaders 34-24 in Hamilton. This win puts the Chiefs eight points clear of the second placed Brumbies with a perfect nine from nine record. Sportstalk host Jason Pine boldly predicts the Chiefs will take home the title at the end of the season, because they've been playing well t...

Police turned up at a South Auckland home around 5am, with one resident suspected to be overstaying a visa. Immigration hasn't denied that similar visits haven't happened before, according to the lawyer involved in this case. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this lawyer suspects this raid technique has happened within the Pacific community. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/liste...

The former Finance Minister behind the 'Mother of all Budgets' doesn't hold high hopes for this year's one. Chris Hipkins has already ruled out major tax changes and a levy to fund the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery, promising the upcoming Budget will be a 'no-frills' solution to tough economic times. Former Finance Minister Ruth Richardson predicts that this year's Budget will be a dimmed-down versio...

The early childhood sector has initiated the Fair Pay Agreement process. NZEI has lodged the application on behalf of Early Childhood Education teachers, after more than 5,000 workers signed in support. Representative Sandie Burn says teachers would like to be paid enough so they don't need a second job. "There are a lot of teachers out there that are going and doing another evening job or a weeke...

A fourth man is standing trial in relation to the drugging and sexual assault of women at a central Christchurch bar, after an investigation from 2018. Two men have already been found guilty on almost 70 charges of stupefying and assaulting more than 20 women, and a third guilty of offering to supply an illegal drug. The Herald's Anna Leask says the fourth man successfully argued to have allegatio...

Looks like we’re in for another round of the old Auckland stadium debate   of whether we upgrade Eden Park or get rid of it and build a new one on the waterfront. The reason this is starting up again   is because Eden Park has announced that it wants to tart the old girl up. With a new roof  and a flash pedestrian promenade like they’ve got at the Cake Tin in Wellington. And immediately, the water...

The Coromandel continues to suffer from bad weather. State Highway 25, the back-up road for the devastated State Highway 25A is blocked. Thames-Coromandel mayor Len Salt says they are working hard to clear a slip, and it should be open again soon. Salt says the vulnerability to bad weather makes it hard for businesses and the community. He says it's a longstanding issue. "This is the discussion th...

The Transport Minister's raising the alarm over maintenance of KiwiRail's sole track car for inspecting the lines. The Government's today launched a rapid review after the vehicle broke down. Metlink now says Wellington commuter services should be back to normal by Thursday - after major disruption today - a day sooner than first announced. Michael Wood says it's clear KiwiRail needs to do better....

The federal opposition and leading military experts are urging the Albanese Government to allow foreigners to enlist in the ADF. The Liberal Party have suggested that Pacific Islanders, New Zealanders and people from other nations including the US, UK and Japan be allowed to enlist to boost current staffing numbers. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says that the Canadian and American defen...

An Auckland Councillor says a new toll charge coming in north of the city is unfair. The Government is expected to slap it on a new $830 million Whangaparaoa arterial route, opening in 2026. The highway's expected to save 20 minutes of travel at peak times, but will cost light vehicles $3 during congested times, and $2 at off peak. Albany Ward Councillor John Watson says a lot has changed since th...

House prices are looking to settle over the next few months, and ANZ says that signs are showing that we’re getting close to the bottom of the market. ANZ’s Chief Economist Sharon Zollner says that once it hits the bottom, their forecasts show that prices will increase slowly, and a sudden skyrocket is unlikely. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions are rising about who'd get caught in a capital gains tax clawback. The Inland Revenue's wealth report showed that the wealthiest New Zealanders pay about half the tax an average earner does. Briscoes Group Managing Director, Rod Duke, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he thinks we're being softened up for a capital gains tax. He says a wide-ranging capital gains tax would catch everyone...

Dame Noeline Taurua’s coaching contract with the Silver Ferns is up in November, sparking questions about what’s next. Taurua is coaching the Ferns through both the World Cup and the Constellation Cup, but after that she says her plans are up in the air. She’s not certain where her future lies; whether she’ll continue coaching or if there’s something else out there for her. LISTEN ABOVE See omnyst...

There are still hopes that a national Erebus memorial will be ready in time for elderly family of those killed in the disaster to see it. The Culture and Heritage Ministry says flooding erosion means it can no longer be built in Auckland's Dove Myer Robinson Park. Deputy CEO of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Glenis Philip-Barbara said that had the memorial been erected there, they wouldn’t h...

How much more of these hand gluing protests in Wellington are we going to tolerate? Especially now that we know how badly it’s tying up police resources.   We’ve just found out today that up to 10 police officers a re now dedicated to dealing with these protestors . Up to 10 police, between 7am and 9am daily , waiting to find out where the protest is, then responding quickly to get them off the ro...

Teachers across the UK have begun their 5th day of national strikes for 2023, with more planned for the coming days. The region's National Education Union (NEU) have rejected the Government's latest pay offer, labeeling it 'insulting'. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this wave of strikes has made it harder to motivate children to stay focused on school. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Tonight on The Huddle, Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett and Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following topics- and more! Chris Hipkins delivered his pre-budget election speech today, focusing on reducing Government spending, ruling out new taxes and directing spending to boost New Zealand's economic productivity. Did it sound like it could have come from a Nati...

New Zealand's next election is fast approaching, and next year the focus will be on America's election. An expert from Fisher Funds says geopolitical events can give investors plenty of reasons to be concerned, and looking at history can indicate how to proceed.  Sam Dickie of Fisher Funds explained it's impossible to construct a long-term portfolio based around politics or elections, citing the m...

The India NZ Business Council has released information suggesting New Zealand has more work to do before establishing a trade deal with India. According to a new report from the INZBC, New Zealand will be better off building an initial relationship with India first before leading with a trade deal. Senior business correspondent Dileepa Fonseka says the growing insistence on setting up an FTA may h...

Federated Farmers Vice President Wayne Langford has accused Greenpeace of spreading 'harmful misinformation' about the link between nitrates and colorectal cancer. Langford says Greenpeace are 'preying on people’s fear of cancer to push an anti-farming agenda' and states that the organisation isn't qualified to make these claims. The Country's Jamie Mackay agrees with Wayne Langford in that Greenp...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins delivered his pre-budget speech and experts are comparing aspects of it to National's campaign promises. Hipkins talked about reducing Government spending, highlighted strong immigration numbers and ruled out introducing a capital gains tax. The Prime Minister also promised spending would be directed to boost economic productivity, with skills, science and infrastructu...

NZ Rugby has reported a financial loss of over $47 million for 2022. NZR chief financial officer Jo Perez said NZR’s commercial revenue reached a record high of $271 million in 2022, up 43 percent from $189 million in 2021. The financial statements report expenditure also went up from $183 million in 2021 to $318 million. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained what went wrong for NZ in 2022....

AA says newer highways built from 2009 onwards have delivered a 37 percent reduction in deaths and serious injuries. AA analysis confirms the percentage takes into account crashes on older roads, which also tend to experience reductions when new highways open. Research foundation manager Dylan Thomsen says  it shows the safety benefits of investment in new roading infrastructure. "There's also goi...