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Stuart Nash has resigned his police portfolio after revealing he'd called the Commissioner to ask about appealing a court case. In an interview with Newstalk ZB's Mike Hosking, Stuart Nash referenced the conversation with Andrew Coster while addressing the need for appropriate punishments for offenders. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says that Chris Hipkins was 'puffing his chest'...

President Joe Biden aims to reassure customers that the US banking system is safe after Silicon Valley Bank collapsed. Joe Biden said that Silicon Valley Bank customers were protected by the Deposit Insurance Fund, but investors would get the same guarantee. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says that investors have been very concerned about the state of SVB and withdrew $42 billion dollars, or a qu...

The Breakers are set to play against the Sydney Kings in a matter of hours. Tonight's long-anticipated NBL championship decider game is expected to draw thousands of fans to Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave said this match will be long and intense with the potential to go into double overtime. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's all go on a teaching mega-strike tomorrow, despite eleventh hour meetings between unions and the Education Ministry. About 50,000 kindergarten, primary and secondary teachers and principals are walking off the job nationwide. NZEI President Mark Potter says the primary teachers' negotiation team and the Ministry discussed a wide range of teacher claims yesterday. He says discussions were wort...

Christchurch Hospital has recently slashed one out of four planned surgeries. 30 anaesthetic technicians have quit between now and 2022 and these roles have yet to be replaced, leading to a reduction in planned procedures. Christchurch Hospital surgeon Frank Frizelle says surgical procedures across multiple disciplines have been hit, from cancer treatments to orthopaedic surgery. Frank Frizelle sa...

Tonight's championship-deciding Breakers game is hours away. They're facing the Kings in Sydney, hoping to score their first NBL title since 2015. NZ Breakers owner Matt Walsh is excited for tonight's game, and admitted to feeling more nervous before Sunday's game at Spark Arena. Matt Walsh says the team's been great on the road all year and predicts a good night for the Breakers. LISTEN ABOVE   S...

Frustration over a blowout of Auckland's City Rail link build cost. It's asking for another billion dollars, half each from Auckland Council and the Government. The completion date for stations and supporting rail infrastructure has also been pushed back to November 2025. Heart of the City Chief Executive, Viv Beck, says it's a big blow for businesses in construction zones. She says some businesse...

Chris Hipkins looks to be taking a tough stance against MPs stepping over the line. The Police Minister resigned his portfolio today over revelations he asked the Police Commissioner if he would appeal a court decision. Stuart Nash was not the responsible minister at the time of the 2021 conversation. Former Labour staffer Kaine Thompson says Hipkins' style of premiership is a change. "He is absol...

 Te Pūkenga's Chief Executive is in hot water for the second time this week. Stuff reports polytech boss Peter Winder has given staff a list of words they should and shouldn't use. It includes calling staff 'learning facilitators' and using 'Te Tiriti o Waitangi'. Winder earlier told staff they should be politically neutral before this year's general election. Auckland University's Richard Easther...

That didn’t take long. Six and a half hours, and Stuart Nash was gone. Just after half past 7, he went on Newstalk ZB and boasted about calling the police commissioner about a guy who got home D for illegal weapons and whether there would be an appeal. By 2pm, he’d resigned. Well, that’s the story anyway.   I suspect he might’ve been fired. He was still defending himself mid-morning, which says to...

President Joe Biden will be visiting Northern Ireland on invitation from Rishi Sunak. Sunak issued this invitation to Joe Biden as the pair met in San Diego to discuss the nuclear submarine deal with Australia.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says President Biden will be spending five days in Ireland to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday agreement. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/l...

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and ZB host Nick Mills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  Orion Health's Ian McRae says Health NZ is the next policy that needs to go - Ian argues it's made the health system worse. What do we think, is this likely to change? KPMG has determined the banking profits aren't out of the ordinary compared to other S&P/NZ50...

Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson has walked back his support of the TVNZ/RNZ merger. During an earlier session in Parliament, Jackson declared the merger was over and it wouldn't be brought back in the future. This comes six days after Willie Jackson defended the $16.1 million costs of the scrapped merger and hoped it could be resurrected. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Lab...

The Black Caps managed to score a victory in the final moments of a test match for the second time in a fortnight. Kane Williamson guided New Zealand to a win on the last ball of the team's test against Sri Lanka at Hagley Oval. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained the highlights of the match. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aucklanders will have to prepare to pay more for their water services in the coming months. Watercare has locked in a 9.5 percent price increase on their water bills, starting from July.  Watercare Chief Customer Officer Amanda Singleton says the organisation has planned infrastructure developments for Auckland, which will cost $1 billion by the end of 2023 and $13 billion overall. Amanda Singleto...

The Norwood New Zealand Rural Sports Awards winners have been announced for 2023. The Ford Ranger New Zealand Rural Games returned to Palmerston North after an unplanned hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic and drew a crowd of 45,000 people. The Country's Jamie Mackay highlighted Jack Jordan as the New Zealand Rural Sportsman of the Year, Megan Whitehead as the New Zealand Rural Sportswoman of the...

The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is projecting a trading loss of $1.6 million ahead of their next meeting. Thursday's meeting will "immediately" review their operations to find a more sustainable business model. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says these losses are tied to the two years of Covid-19 that the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron endured. Pattrick Smellie says that RNZY...

Calls are growing for an investigation into the ongoing problems the Cook Strait ferries have faced. The current fleet has been hit hard by mechanical failures and KiwiRail has said it will be impossible to get any new Interislander ferries in until 2025. Transporting NZ CEO Nick Leggett says the KiwiRail's current model is unsustainable, and the lack of certainty is 'upsetting' for people. Nick L...

An environmental expert says there's an extra benefit to lowering speed limits- a reduction in carbon emissions. The argument being made is that cars that drive at slower speeds use less fuel and emit less carbon dioxide, which is better for the environment.  AUT professor of biogeography Len Gillman says SUV and other high-emission vehicle drivers need to do their part to cut CO2 output. Len Gill...

The Government is being urged to chuck our health reforms on its policy bonfire. The Prime Minister yesterday announced cuts to multiple transport initiatives, to free up funds for the cost of living crisis. Orion Health's executive director says the now-completed merging of District Health Boards into Te Whatu Ora should be next. Ian McRae says DHBs weren't perfect, but were locally led. He says...

The Prime Minister says retail crime is up because people are reporting lower end theft and shoplifting valued under $500. But the ACT Party says it has figures showing much of that crime isn't solved. Leader David Seymour says officers say closing a case - means no further action was taken. "Chris Hipkins may be right when he says that the retail crime numbers are going up because people are repo...

National has come out swinging, after the Government has voted against a select committee inquiry into banking. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister, Duncan Webb, accused the Opposition of planning a once over lightly review. But National's Finance spokesperson, Nicola Willis, says it's ridiculous to suggest Parliament doing its job is somehow untoward. "It's our job as members of Parliament to...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak to unveil details about their nuclear submarine project. This plan will be carried out over the next 30 to 40 years and cost Australia $370 billion dollars. Australia will receive at least five nuclear-powered submarines from the US by the end of the decade. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the Australian Government has st...

Rising living costs are pushing more Kiwis into looking for a second job, with fulltime workers picking up weekend and night shifts. OneStaff Tauranga Manager Nathan Lewis says they're usually finding low-skill jobs that can be picked up easily. "Some of these guys have come in, they're working sort of skilled day jobs and they're happy to kind of do anything, really, just to get a bit of an incom...

Well, it might not be altogether a bad thing for Christopher Luxon that he’s got the ‘rona today and has to isolate. Because it means he didn’t have to front up for the media at Parliament and answer awkward questions about why there is a real chance now that he could lose the election to a party that has been so bad over the last six years, it’s been described as the worst Government in living me...