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New Zealand have beaten England by one run in their second cricket test at Wellington. They've levelled the contest 1-all and extended their home record to 11 series undefeated. Neil Wagner coaxed James Anderson into edging a ball down the legside to wicketkeeper Tom Blundell who dived and took a heroic catch for the final wicket. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says this one run victory is a hi...

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown's proposed budget cuts will impact homeless initiative funding. Mayor Brown's proposed budget will make many cuts to plug a $295 million shortfall, including to regional, community and social services. Solomon Group Housing Manger Bernie Smith says that funding for these initiatives shouldn't be cut because homelessness adds costs to the city in other areas. Bernie Smith...

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are in talks to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol. This deal is a crucial sticking point in the post-Brexit trading agreement between the regions. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this has sparked debate amongst many MPs, who want the chance to vote on the new agreement terms. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/list...

On today's edition of The Huddle, NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  What do we think of the proposed Lotto draw to raise money for the victims of Cyclone Gabrielle? Is this the biggest priority to boost the recovery?  Rob Campbell wrote a LinkedIn rant criticising National's plan for Three...

Passengers on an international JetStar flight from Thailand were stranded on the tarmac for seven hours. The flight was forced to land in Alice Springs after a passenger fell ill from a suspected stroke. An electrical fault was discovered before the plane was about to take off again and required a replacement part from Sydney. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says the passengers were stran...

Kieran Read has urged NZ Rugby to select Scott Robertson as the next All Blacks coach. The former captain said the All Blacks coach selection process has been poorly handled by NZ Rugby and selecting Robertson is the quickest way to end it. Weekend Sport's Jason Pine agrees and says NZ Rugby needs to make the decision and unencumber Ian Foster before the World Cup. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/...

Former MP Paul East has died. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says East was a former Cabinet Minister in Jim Bolger's Government. Soper says East had been ill for a very long time, and his heart goes out to his family. It comes within hours of the death of former National MP Chester Borrows. The 65-year-old was diagnosed with cancer last year. Borrows served as Courts Minister and...

The median wage for migrant workers has increased further, sparking concerns. The Accredited Employer Work Visa kicked in today and sees workers paid nearly $30 dollars an hour. OneStaff Chief Executive Jon Ives says this increase isn't fair for New Zealanders and it may not have been thought out properly. Jon Ives says this wage increase will have a knock-on effect that contributes to wage inflat...

Health NZ chair Rob Campbell has come under fire for venting his frustrations about National’s Three Waters policy on LinkedIn. National's Simeon Brown and ACT's David Seymour have voiced their disapproval at Rob Campbell's comments. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says Rob Campbell has a reputation as an 'independent character', which was known before he was appointed to the role. Fran...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced a special Lotto draw and fundraising appeal for the Cyclone Gabrielle rebuilds. It was based on the Christchurch earthquake appeal - which had raised about $100 million. The national state of emergency has also been extended further. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the Lotto draw is part of a bigger scheme designed to raise money for the affected re...

Look, it’s very tempting to have a laugh once again at Auckland Transport for once again, being rubbish at its job. But actually, this isn’t funny anymore, is it? This has got to be costing the country money now, with people being unable to get to the places where they earn money and where they learn how to do work. As you know, we are now in March Madness. This happens every single year; it’s the...

New Zealand is likely to reach 'peak petrol' within the next two years, according to data from Channel Infrastructure. Diesel use is also set to remain strong for the time to come and aviation fuel consumption will only go up. Channel Infrastructure CEO Naomi James says petrol demand is peaking and will decline because of the demand for EV's and increasing fuel efficiency. Naomi James doesn't beli...

Transport in Auckland appears to be at its knees at the moment. Auckland Transport is asking people not to travel on public transport during peak hours if possible. It says during March that buses, trains and ferries will be busier and more services will have standing room only. Public Transport Users Association spokesperson Jon Reeves says there needs to be a clear path out of this situation. "T...

The Government has expanded temporary accommodation services for people displaced by extreme weather. These services were set up after the January Auckland floods to accommodate displaced people, and have since expanded to assist victims of Cyclone Gabrielle in the upper North Island. Response recovery manager Julia Shanahan says Auckland alone has had over 1000 applications and she's estimating 1...

ACT Leader David Seymour says Te Whatu Ora's board chair should lose his job over comments made about National's Three Waters policy, and Christopher Luxon. Rob Campbell is under fire after he apparently took to social media to vent about the Opposition's proposal to scrap the reform, and ensure councils retain water infrastructure. Seymour says it's bigger than just criticising a policy. He says...

New Plymouth mayor Neil Holdom is among the first to comment on National's proposed alternative to Three Waters. National launched 'Local Water Done Well' to replace Three Waters and return water assets to direct council ownership. Neil Holdom says National's proposed policy won't solve the pre-existing funding and finance issues affecting councils. Neil Holdom doesn't support Labour's Three Water...

Emergency Alerts have been issued as a precaution for parts of Auckland. Fire and Emergency helped rescue multiple cars trapped in floodwater in Dairy Flat using a boat, and all persons are now accounted for. An Emergency Alert has been issued for residents of Rodney, Helensville, Upper Harbour, Te Atatu and Henderson Valley. An alert has also been sent for residents of Bethells Beach, Piha, Karek...

Stars are coming out in force for a Cyclone Gabrielle relief concert in Christchurch tonight. More than 2000 people will gather in the city's town hall for the Otautahi 4 Aotearoa Cyclone Relief Concert, headlined by artists Lorde, Neil Finn, and L.A.B. The artists —along with the venue and staff— are donating their time and resources for the fundraiser. L.A.B's lead singer Joel Shadbolt told Andr...

Rain is starting to hit Hawke's Bay as the region bunkers down for a wet night. The Esk Valley has been evacuated due to concerns around what the extra rain will do to the Esk River. Hawke's Bay Emergency Management Group Controller Ian Macdonald says rain could cause slips on already soggy land and roads. He says Police have put cordons in place to protect homes from looters. MacDonald told Andre...

The Wairoa Mayor says heavy rain hasn't arrived yet, but people should be prepared. Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, and the Coromandel Peninsula have orange heavy rain warnings in place. MetService has also issued a thunderstorm watch for Hawkes Bay. After severe flooding, the East Coast regions are bracing for more heavy rain, and about 30 homes in the Esk Valley have been evacuated. Mayor Craig Little to...

An off-duty police officer was shot and injured in Northern Ireland. The officer was reportedly coaching a youth football team when he was approached by the two gunmen. The officer is in a critical but stable condition in an Altnagelvin area hospital.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says not much is known about the perpetrators, but suspicion has fallen on dissident republicans who have attacked secu...

After Covid setbacks, Australian airline Qantas bounces back making a $1.4 billion profit before tax. However, Australian correspondent Murray Olds says they won't be lowering air fares anytime soon. Air New Zealand have also made a recovery profit of more than $290 billion and as passenger demand ramps up their air fares also continuing to rise. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

NZ Rugby are set to have their first board meeting of 2023 today. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave predicts this may finally conclude the long running search for a new All Blacks coach. D'Arcy Waldegrave says NZR needs to be proactive and say something after the radio silence following Ian Foster's earlier interview. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's edition of The Huddle, Chief Executive of Transporting NZ Nick Leggett and Mike Munroe, former Labour Chief of Staff and current director of Mike Munroe Communications joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  How does it reflect on Chris Hipkins to be this misinformed about the proportion of taxes Labour takes out of the economy? Did he handle the miscommunicati...

Kiwibank's half-year profits rose by 53 percent to $98 million dollars with the help of strong lending growth. Kiwibank's CEO says these results will prepare the bank for a tougher second half dominated by rising interest rates, increased inflation and recent extreme weather events. NZ Herald business editor Liam Dann says we're seeing the tail end of the boom for bank profits. LISTEN ABOVE See om...