Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Boris Johnson has submitted evidence to MPs investigating whether he misled Parliament over Covid rule-breaking parties in Downing Street. The former Prime Minister has denied misleading MPs and wanted his defence to be published as soon as possible. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the televised investigation will run for five hours and will attract a large audience curious to see whether or not...

Tonight on The Huddle: Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Nick Leggett, Transporting NZ Chief Executive joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  How suspicious is the story about Andrew Kirton's former role as a lobbyist on behalf of liquor firms and the container return scheme getting dumped? Scott 'Razor' Robertson is the new All Blacks coach-in-waiting after months of...

Anti-trans activist Posie Parker's Tasmania rally went ahead, despite concern from Tasmania's transgender community. Posie Parker's Victoria rally inspired a group of neo-Nazis to perform Nazi salutes outside Parliament, sparking calls for her Tasmania rally to be shut down. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says counter-protesters from Tasmania turned up to the rally to drown out her comments....

Oat milk production is set to return to New Zealand shores. New Zealand firm Free Flow Manufacturing is establishing the country's first plant-based milk facility and signed oat milk company Otis as its foundation customer. This will allow Otago-based Otis to return its oat milk manufacturing from Sweden to New Zealand. Otis co-founder Chris Wilkie says the company started out in Otago and despite...

New Zealand and Australia's Reserve Banks may be pausing the OCR hikes following recent financial meltdowns.  The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and the near collapse of Credit Suisse has inspired these Reserve Banks to wait and watch before any future OCR hikes. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says the events offshore will definitely slow any future OCR increases for the moment. Paul Bloxham s...

Kiwifruit giant Zespri is forecasting exports will be down by 18 percent this season. Due to a combination of floods, extreme weather and a labour shortage, Zespri predicts the kiwifruit output will be roughly 30 million trays less than 2022. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the kiwifruit industry has had a rough 2023, but there's light in the end of the tunnel in the form of supply and demand and...

More public embarrassment for polytech merger Te Pūkenga today after a budget bid was accidentally published online. The budget bid had no redactions, revealing that the organisation believes it needs another $420 million over the next four years, half of which will be spent on IT. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says the costs of marrying up the various IT systems that exist in the...

Even Chris Hipkins may not have known much about Ginny Andersen before her recent appointment. Chris Hipkins said that Ginny Andersen would be suitable to take over as Police Minister because of her decade of experience working with the police. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper observed that Hipkins was unaware of what Ginny Andersen actually did for the police. Barry Soper says Chri...

Former Crusaders coach Scott 'Razor' Robertson has been announced as the next All Blacks coach. Robertson missed out on the role after the 2019 World Cup and again in 2021, making this appointment feel like a long time coming in the eyes of experts. Sportstalk host D'arcy Waldegrave says Scott Robertson had other coaching options after he left the Crusaders but coaching the All Blacks was his firs...

Questions are being raised about the Government's scrapping of its container return scheme. The policy would have encouraged consumers and businesses to return beverage bottles and cans for recycling and reuse. RNZ has revealed the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff lobbied against the policy in his previous job on behalf of liquor firms. Zero Waste Network's Marty Hoffart says it's bizarre when 83 p...

Today marks a major milestone for the quake-damaged Christ Church Cathedral. A small group of community leaders and media gathered inside the Cathedral, the first event held in the damaged building in 12 years. Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement chair Mark Stewart says today was a momentous day in the history of the Cathedral. "We've had a number of events there today to show people the work we...

Kieran McAnulty has been tasked with improving Three Waters in the eyes of local Governments.  The Local Government Minister today sat down at the Beehive with several mayors who opposed the current Three Waters reforms. Waimakiriri mayor Dan Gordon was at the meeting and appreciated the chance to be part of the discussion, however he says there are some aspects that need to be reconsidered. Dan G...

Crusaders coach Scott Robertson will become the All Blacks coach after this year's World Cup. After months of speculation, NZ Rugby has appointed Scott Robertson to coach the team for the next four years through to 2027. NZ Herald rugby writer Liam Napier says Razor was the best call, but reckons other contenders Tony Brown and Jamie Joseph were viable alternatives. "Scott Robertson has six Super...

Scott 'Razor' Robertson has been newly appointed as the next All Blacks coach. Scott Robertson will be taking over from Ian Foster in 2024 after the upcoming Rugby World Cup in France. Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says that he planned to get behind whoever NZ Rugby chose for the job to support the team. Steve Hansen says both candidates had outstanding records and good management skills. L...

The alleged ‘Mr Big’ arrested in Spain over one of our largest drug busts has been extradited to New Zealand. About half a tonne of meth was smuggled into Bay of Plenty in 2019. Five men were charged with possession for supply over huge stashes found in Auckland and Hamilton and two other men face importation charges. The Herald's Jared Savage says it's a big deal for our police. "What this does s...

If we don’t watch out, we are going to end up in a situation, if we haven’t already, where we make the gap between getting the dole and getting paid for work become so small, that it again ends up being a smart move to just stay at home and collect free money rather than work for a living. Right now, the Government is considering a change to Working for Families that will only exacerbate this prob...

The French Government will face a no-confidence vote over lifting up the pension age to 64. French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to raise the pension age without a Parliament vote has inspired widespread protests over the weekend. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the politicians involved have received death threats and their constituency offices have been vandalised by protesters. Gavin Gre...

On tonight's edition of The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Mike Munroe, former Labour Chief of Staff and Director at Mike Munro Communications joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has waged a war on road cones, and Vector is standing by in support of this move. Will Wayne Brown get something done to improve Auckland traffic...

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will travel to China on Tuesday for two days. This will be China's first visit from a Cabinet minister since 2019, and Nanaia Mahuta will be meeting new Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang. Nanaia Mahuta's trip comes as China’s President Xi Jinping travels to Moscow to support Russian President Vladimir Putin. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says the timing o...

The Finance Minister is still adamant that Auckland's Rail Link will be a 50-50 investment. Auckland City Rail Link, the nation’s largest ever transport project, has had a cost blowout of over $1b more due to Covid-19 and other revised costs. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown described this blowout as 'unsurprising' amid plans to reduce excess spending and get Auckland's debt down. Finance Minister Grant...

There are growing concerns about Ginny Andersen as the new Police Minister. Andersen is the second-lowest ranking member of Cabinet with only two months in the role prior to this appointment. Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Sunny Kaushal didn't expect this choice, as he'd hoped Hipkins would pick someone with a higher ranking and more experience to be a Cabinet minister. Sunny Kaushal says t...

Vector supports moves by Auckland's mayor to reduce road cones and temporary traffic management. Wayne Brown says he wants savings from the $145 million Auckland Transport spends on traffic management, which he says is too disruptive. Vector Chief Executive Simon Mackenzie says it costs them $30 million a year, which is passed on to consumers. He says current regulations around traffic management...

Anti-trans protestors clashed with transgender rights activists at a UK anti-trans speakers tour in Victoria Australia. Protestors called transgender people names and performed the Nazi salute at Kellie-Jay Kenn-Minshull also known as Posie Parker's "Let Women Speak" rally. Australian Correspondent Oliver Peterson says Liberal state MP Moira Deeming made an appearance at the rally. "The fact that...

New Zealand have won the second cricket test against Sri Lanka by an innings and 58 runs in the Wellington gloom. They take the series 2-nil, and maintain a run of 12 undefeated series at home. Kane Williamson took the final catch in the slips off Tim Southee, dismissing Kasun Rajitha for 20 off 110 balls. Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explained further. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener...

The Prime Minister today struggled to detail what job the new Police Minister once did for police. Second-lowest ranking member of Cabinet, Ginny Andersen will pick up the portfolio. Chris Hipkins told reporters today she worked for police for 10 years. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says he's found out more from the PM's office. "She was a policy manager at the headquarters, duri...