Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Claims the Government is backpedalling on policies so quickly... it might end up with a speeding ticket. The Prime Minister's clarified the focus for funding transport projects will be on rebuilding infrastructure, after Cyclone Gabrielle. It's a U-turn from revelations made by our newsroom today that a new transport strategy would prioritise cutting down emissions. National's transport spokesman...

Early Childhood NZ have suggested now could be the right time to remodel the sector. Yesterday, National's Chris Luxon proposed new 'Family Boost' policy, which would give working families a 25% rebate on childcare expenses. Early Childhood NZ Chief Executive Kathy Wolfe says early childhood education needs to be fully accessible for all households. Kathy Wolfe says there's a big affordability con...

U-turns this fast are very rare, but we've got one.  Transport Minister Michael Wood is already backpedalling on his plan to spend more of our pothole repair money on cycleways.  The first we heard about this was in the Herald this morning. Michael Wood's plan was to use the draft policy statement on land transport to make emissions reductions his biggest transport goal for the next ten years. Tha...

The Ministry for the Environment says that public transport is not always an option. It comes after findings reveal that it spent $900,000 on flights over 11 months, but only $250 on public transport. Chief Executive James Palmer says that they've reduced air travel by 66% and they encourage alternative modes where possible. He says for Ministry staff travelling around New Zealand, public transpor...

Questions are being asked about where hundreds of jobs could be cut at Te Whatu Ora. Former Board chair Rob Campbell —who was sacked by Health Minister Ayesha Verrall this week— says the agency is heading towards a massive restructure. Health Commentator Ian Powell says told Heather du Plessis-Allan that Te Whatu Ora's workforce is largely in hospitals, so the number of people that could be caught...

Aucklanders that are still out of their homes could be waiting years before they can safely live in them again. Hundreds of furious Muriwai residents were left frustrated at a meeting with council staff yesterday, because they couldn't say when they could return. The residents have been out for three weeks already. Auckland Council director of regulatory services Craig Hobbs told Heather du-Plessi...

UK Police have found remains in the search for Constance Marten and Mark Gordon's missing baby. The pair were arrested on suspicion of of child neglect and later gross negligence manslaughter after they were tracked down in a 53-day nationwide search. UK correspondent Enda Brady says hundreds of officers searched an area of 90 square miles in Sussex after the pair were arrested without their missi...

Today on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following topics: Australia's Northern Territory Police Force has placed an ad in the Herald to poach New Zealand officers. The ad includes an offer of $100,000 a year and rent-free housing. What does New Zealand need to work on to keep quality talent? Former EPA and Health NZ c...

14-year-old Ryan Xie is the youngest player competing in the 2023 NZ Open. Ryan Xie got the chance to play in the biggest golf tournament of his life after shooting a six-under 66 to top the field at Cromwell Golf Club on Monday. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says Ryan Xie is one over the card, with Steve Alker leading at the NZ Open. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Over in the US, the housing market looks like it's back on the rise. There's been a slight market slump, but new home sales have risen to a one year high and confidence among buyers and sellers has improved.  Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds says the US housing market will generally be different to New Zealand's, as they have longer fixed mortgages. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Northland's largest agricultural event has returned after years of Covid-induced delays. Northland Field Days got underway in Dargaville today, following weeks of severe weather hitting many local growers and farmers hard. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, National spoksperson Todd Muller and Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime are expected to attend. The Country's Jamie Mackay says there's a mood...

China is set to return to its economic powerhouse state after years of restrictions. Chinese consumers are out of lockdown and ready to spend, and this has economists all over the world recalibrating their global growth forecasts.  NZ Herald business editor Liam Dann says the return of Chinese consumers will be good for New Zealand's economy. Liam Dann says the expected wave of Chinese tourists wi...

S&P Global Ratings warns that Kiwis are blind to the 'astronomical' costs of fixing Three Waters. A new report from the credit agency suggests that local councils are gaming the system by building new infrastructure with the hope that their ratepayers won't have to pick up the tab. S&P Global Ratings director Anthony Walker says the cost of fixing water infrastructure could be between $120...

The Northern Territory Police Force are poaching our New Zealand Police. An advertisement was placed in the Herald by the Australian State Police Force offering more than $100,000 a year and rent-free housing. Police Recruitment Superintendent Serge Bouma says they've already had some applications. "Getting police officers who've had very good training and similar training to ours is a bit of a no...

Canterbury University students are being asked to return up to $2000 worth of road signs. They were stolen from the traffic management plant set up on Ilam Road during the university's O-Week. Students can hand them into the University's Security office – no questions asked – until midday tomorrow. Student Association president Pierce Crowley says they've already had a few handed in. "No judgement...

The Environment Ministry has been criticised for spending $913,000 on flights over an 11 month period. They also spent a further $97,225 on taxis, shuttles and Ubers, with only $251 being spent on public transport. ACT have labelled this spending as outrageous and hypocritical and MP Simon Court said the Ministry should be leading Kiwis by example. Barry Soper, ZB's senior political correspondent...

The Australian Government is hopeful inflation over the ditch has peaked. Inflation for 2022 peaked at 7.8 percent and Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmer doesn't expect it will go higher. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says inflation rates right now are steady. "Those soaring prices, though, for commodity exports that the country's generating, think iron, oil, and coal. And of course, the retu...

Increasing calls for a market study into our banking sector, after the Reserve Bank asked for one earlier this week. Bank profits have never been higher than those reported last year. Monopoly Watch spokesperson Tex Edwards says we need stable banks, but we don't need them exceeding the OECD benchmark for profits. "Excessive profits by economists are called monopoly rents and that's what it seems...

Another tough day for former top Civil Servant Rob Campbell. He's been sacked as the chair of the Environmental Protection Authority today after losing the same title at Te Whatu Ora earlier this week. The controversy began after Campbell posted on social media, criticising the National Party's Three Waters policy. Under the Public Service Act, civil servants are required to exercise political neu...

A new tax change would require Uber and Airbnb to charge GST for their services. Parliament’s Finance and Expenditure select committee has approved a tax bill, but the bill will only proceed if Labour wins the next election. Labour says this tax change will subject the gig economy to the same rules as motels and taxi services, which already charge GST. Deloitte GST partner Allan Bullot says most g...

Do you know what? I think we need to get on and have an official inquiry into bank profits. If only to stop the moaning that happens like clockwork every time the banks report their profits. You can blame the Reserve Bank for this. Earlier this week, their Chief Economist Paul Conway said: "I think the banking sector would be an appropriate focus for a market study, should the Government wish to g...

A passenger train in northern Greece carrying hundreds of people collided with an oncoming freight train, killing 32. A further 85 passengers were injured in the high-speed crash, with multiple cars derailing or bursting into flames. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says 150 firefighters and 40 ambulances were on the scene after the collision, and conditions have been described as 'difficult'. LISTEN A...

Today on The Huddle, David Farrar from Kiwiblog and Curia polling and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues- and more!  Chris Hipkins and Andrew Coster have decided to send a police caravan to Hawke's Bay to help fight the ongoing crime wave? Will this help? And how scared must residents be to arm themselves? Creative NZ and the Jame...

In the United States, almost half the country's murder cases remain unsolved. There's been almost 300 fatal shootings this year already. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson says murders are becoming so common, it's hard for police to keep up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows there was a boost in filled jobs over the January period. Stats NZ shows that filled jobs rose 0.8 percent when seasonally adjusted for January 2023, the strongest result since December 2020. The total filled jobs are now 2 percent higher than they were in January 2022. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says these results are surprising, given the warning signs in December...