Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Tonight on The Huddle, Chief Executive of Transporting NZ Nick Leggett and journalist Clare de Lore joined in on a discussion about the following topics: Green Party MP Elizabeth Kerekere is under fire for calling colleague Chlöe Swarbrick a 'crybaby' in a group text sent to other MPs. How does this make the Labour/Greens set look following a recent burst of bad behaviour? And how did this text ge...

Auckland-based Scarbro Construction has today declared insolvency and called in liquidators. The building company has stopped work on five active construction sites- and experts warn this won't be the only construction business in trouble this year. AUT Construction Management professor John Tookey wasn't expecting Scarbro to dissolve, but says that any construction company can go belly-up. John T...

The Reserve Bank hiked up the OCR higher than expected- and it shocked a lot of experts. The Official Cash Rate went up 50 basis points to 5.25 percent, the highest it's been since the 2008 global financial crisis. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says the Reserve Bank delivered exactly what they said they were going to in February. Liam Dann explains that the Reserve Bank would have d...

Surprise in Australia - that their Liberal Party opposes the Indigenous Voice to Parliament. Party leader Peter Dutton has pledged to actively campaign against it. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says he didn't think they would back the Labor initiative. "The Liberals are seeking to split hairs, yes they're saying to constitutional recognition, but no to a voice that would be able to provide...

KiwiRail and StraitNZ are in the early stages of being investigated. The Commerce Commission has opened investigations into both Cook Strait ferry companies after months of cancelled and delayed sailings. This investigation will examine whether consumers have been accurately informed of their rights to refunds or reimbursements following the disrupted trips. Jon Reeves from the Public Transport Us...

An economics professor says the Reserve Bank has made a mistake with yesterday's higher-than-predicted hike. The Reserve Bank hiked up the OCR by 50 basis points to 5.25 percent, the highest it's been since the 2008 global financial crisis. Dr Robert MacCulloch, an economics professor from the University of Auckland says there was no need for the Reserve Bank to push the OCR up that high. "I don't...

Police Minister Ginny Andersen says latest data shows youth crime's tracking down. Figures released today show offending rates for children have decreased 63 percent since 2011, and the number of young people offending each year has declined. Andersen says the number doesn't only capture young people brought before the courts, but also when alternative action is taken. "We record a whole range of...

Posties across New Zealand warn a new proposal could see fewer home deliveries and more theft. The National President of the Postal Workers Union says NZ Post has set up postal hubs in rural areas and may be expanding these hubs into urban areas. Postal Workers Union co-national president John Maynard says the existing postal hubs are getting broken into and people aren't getting personal deliveri...

Primary and area school principals are taking more action over pay offers. They've voted to ban work outside 8am to 5pm weekdays, apart from board meetings, from next term. It includes not doing extra work with the Ministry. NZEI Te Riu Roa union negotiator Lynda Stuart explains it covers things like the curriculum refresh and collating information. "It doesn't include things like where we need le...

One of the last things Jacinda asked of us in her valedictory speech yesterday was that we “take the politics out of climate change”  I hope the MPs in that debating chamber completely ignore that.   Because think about what that means. What Jacinda asked our MPs to do was to ignore what we the voters want, and just ram through whatever they consider necessary for climate change. Because that’s wh...

An online grocer is standing firm against pressure to raise its prices. Supie, which launched in 2021, says a number of its suppliers are concerned its prices are too competitive, compared with Countdown and Foodstuffs. Supie says they're being told to align with the market. Founder Sarah Balle says they believe there could be pressure on suppliers from other customers. "Or that suppliers are nerv...

A US strike in Syria has killed an ISIS senior leader who planned attacks into Europe. Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri was also said to have developed the leadership structure for ISIS and been an integral part of their ability to conduct operations. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Khalid Aydd Ahmad al-Jabouri died in an undisclosed location and no civilians were injured or killed during the drone s...

Tonight on The Huddle: Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and former Business NZ CEO and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following topics: The Reserve Bank pushed the OCR up to a higher-than-expected 5.25 percent. Quite incredible to compare it to Australia holding theirs at 3.6 percent yesterday. Is this a sign our economy is in trouble? Ja...

The Reserve Bank has today lifted the Official Cash Rate by 50 basis points to 5.25 per cent. This is the 11th successive increase, and economists are concerned that this higher-than-expected hike will tip the country into recession. Milford Asset Management portfolio manager Katlyn Parker says short-term interest rates were driven up and currency was stronger off the back of the unexpectedly high...

NZ Rugby has launched a 10-year plan of action for the future of women's rugby. The 53-page long Women and Girls' In Rugby System Strategy is designed to improve access to participation and remove barriers for athletes and coaches alike. NZ Rugby has invested $21 million in this scheme so far. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what NZ Rugby aims to accomplish with this long-term strategy....

Universities are continuing their arms race against ChatGPT and AI. Their plagiarism software, Turnitin, now has the ability to spot artificially formulated material with 98 percent accuracy. Some New Zealand universities say they won’t use the new tool, preferring to wait until the technology has been tested before deciding. Simon Mccullum, Victoria University senior lecturer in software engineer...

It is such a ridiculous argument about whether Jacinda’s going to go down in history as one of the greats.  Of course she is! She will be considered one of the greatest Prime Ministers of this country, because she made us feel proud. Proud of our collective response to the mosque shootings, proud of being a place everyone else wanted to be in during Covid- even if we didn’t necessarily agree with...

The Health Minister says they're working on health system pressures - but won't call it a crisis. A Te Whatu Ora staff survey, leaked to RNZ, reveals staff are feeling under-resourced and undervalued. Earlier this week, figures showed nearly 5000 New Zealand nurses had registered to work in Australia. Health Minister Ayesha Verrall says there are nurses leaving, but there are also nurses coming in...

Not everyone's on board with the end of mobile blackspots. Telco One New Zealand is teaming up with SpaceX in a plan to use Starlink to provide cell phone coverage countrywide. Some trampers have expressed their unhappiness, saying they're dreading the idea of being constantly connected. But Federated Mountain Clubs President Robin McNeill says the smartphone is going to become the number one tool...

It's looking like a solid, low-level, criminal case against Donald Trump. The former US President this morning pleaded not guilty to 34 felony charges in New York. They focus on an alleged hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claims they had an affair. US trial attorney Randy Zelin says Trump could end up being done for misdemeanours, which are less serious crimes than felonie...

Cabinet Minister Kiri Allan managed to evade punishment after criticising RNZ's culture and treatment of Māori staff. Several commentators have voiced their support for Kiri Allan, with Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer defending her comment's made at RNZ's work farewell for her partner. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says RNZ should have released a recording of the re...

A sense of predictability in Donald Trump's post court speech. The former US President today pleaded not guilty to falsifying business documents in 2016, including a hush money payment to a porn star. Back in Florida, he followed it with a speech repeating claims of a stolen election, electoral interference and a witch-hunt. US correspondent Mitch McCann says even TV networks got bored. He says so...

The Government's been forking out cash to turn the tap off on people flooding out of military jobs. The Defence Force is reportedly spending $60 million in one-off payments to stop workers quitting. Massey University's Centre for Defence and Security Studies lecturer, Terry Johanson, says the idea could work if people are leaving because of the pay. "If it's money, then it will stop it. If they're...

Margaret Thatcher's former chancellor Nigel Lawson has died aged 91. Nigel Lawson has left behind a huge political legacy, having overseen a period of economic growth during Thatcher's administration from 1983 to 1989, until he resigned over policy disagreements. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Nigel Lawson cut income taxes and focused on turning London into an economic powerhouse, policy ideas t...

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! ACT's David Seymour is under fire for commenting Jacinda Ardern would have been "too dumb" to keep up with a global conspiracy on Max Key's podcast. What do we think of David Seymour's comments, is he out of line? A clip of Chris Hipkins attemp...