Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Reserve Bank is predicted to announce their latest OCR hike tomorrow. Rabobank is the latest economic expert to predict that the OCR will go up by at least 50 basis points. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the predicted OCR hike could signal further tough times for the farming community. Jamie Mackay hopes the Reserve Bank doesn't negatively affect farmers when it comes to risk margins, as they...

Small to medium business owners thinking of selling may be in luck. The average sale price for an SME business has increased by 30 percent over the last three years, with the single biggest quarterly jump occurring in 2022. ABC Business Sales Managing Director Chris Small says more buyers are seeking higher quality businesses, and that's driving the average price up. Chris Small says there's also...

Today marked Parliament's first full day, but the ongoing state of emergency was top of mind for everyone. Luxon and Hipkins discussed the heartbreak they felt upon seeing the worst of the extreme weather damage and talked about their planned efforts to rebuild. Barry Soper suggested that Chris Hipkins' plan to prioritise 'urgent' rebuilds over 'worthy' ones means road reconstruction will take a b...

The Reserve Bank is expected to deliver their latest OCR announcement tomorrow. Economists are still predicting a a rate hike of 50 basis points, but many are calling for the announcement to be delayed. Kiwibank in particular has insisted that the predicted rate hike should be delayed altogether in wake of Cyclone Gabrielle. HSBC Chief Economist Paul Bloxham says that The Reserve Bank will go ahea...

Kiwi golfer Danny Lee has reportedly joined the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf Tour. Lee is one of three new players announced to join the LIV Golf team roster. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says Danny Lee stands to make more money off the LIV Golf Tour than he would by playing another PGA round. D'Arcy Waldegrave says Danny Lee's choice isn't without consequences, as Saudi Arabia's human rights...

The United Nations has cancelled a trip to inspect Australian detainment centres after it was denied full access to detention and mental health centres. A planned visit last year was suspended after the Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture was prevented from visiting several jails and detainment centres. New South Wales has said it required more funding from the federal Government to comply w...

Today on The Huddle: Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Interislander ferries aren't in good shape, with multiple breakdowns and cancellations leaving people stranded. Why can't we fix this? What's the solution? Cyclone Gabrielle is likely to set the economy back by hundreds of mill...

Power company Vector is asking the Commerce Commission to review the electricity distribution sector’s expenditure settings, to support more climate resilience, and a more affordable climate change transition. The Commission sets the revenue lines companies can earn from their customers, which has an impact on electricity bills. Vector chief executive Simon Mackenzie says the company is looking at...

Mechanical issues on Cook Strait ferries are having a ripple effect on passengers. At one point today only one ferry was carrying passengers between the North and South Islands, with a number of engineering issues at Bluebridge and Interislander. It's triggered a wave of cancellations, with two more Bluebridge sailings being canned tomorrow. Passenger Robert Cross says he travelled from Tauranga t...

Police may be getting a bit more grunt to go after street racers in Waikato's Waipā District. The Council is proposing banning non-exempt cars on a number of rural roads between 9pm to 4am. It would boost police powers to impound on any cars breaking the rules. District deputy mayor Liz Stolwyk says some people have had really bad experiences with those drivers. Liz Stolwyk says residents have bee...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has introduced a $74 million dollar package to tackle high truancy rates.  More than 80 new attendance officer positions will be created to work with the thousands of students who skip class on a regular basis. National's education spokesperson Erica Stanford is unimpressed with Chris Hipkins' proposed solution to falling attendance rates. Erica Stanford says this prob...

Napier Golf Course says it's been hit twice by looters since Cyclone Gabrielle. President Riki Mitchell says equipment has been stolen from the shop, and another night people took hand tools from the mower sheds. Riki Mitchell expressed frustration at the looting attempts and says it adds extra stress to the process of trying to resurrect the course. Police says officers remain highly visible, and...

Look, I really want to believe that 82 new truancy officers are going to turn around our falling attendance rates at schools.  But we live in the real world, so here are some real world facts: We have 2500 schools and 815,000 students in this country. That means each of those officers is going to have to cover 31 schools each. Each of those officers is responsible for 10,000 students each. If the...

Three district councils haven't ruled out appealing their failed High Court challenge to the Three Waters reforms. The court has ruled Parliamentary sovereignty, meaning legislation can be passed to enact the reforms. It acknowledged local authorities will lose ownership rights of those infrastructure assets without compensation. Timaru District mayor Nigel Bowen says the councils are disappointed...

Police searching for missing woman Nicola Bulley have discovered a body in the River Wyre. Financial adviser Nicola Bulley went missing on January 27th when she was walking her dog in the northern English village of St Michael's. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this will likely be the most bizarre missing persons case in the history of the UK. Gavin Grey says police had to intervene on social med...

Former All Black Josh Kronfeld is prepared to donate his brain to medical science to conduct CTE research. The ex-flanker appeared on TVNZ's Breakfast show and said he'd be willing to donate his brain to further research on CTE among athletes when he passes. Josh Kronfeld says that this is a serious talking point among rugby players as they age, and as contact athletes, they're vulnerable. Josh Kr...

The Government has announced a $300 million emergency package to help the nation recover after Cyclone Gabrielle. $250 million will be spent on roads and infrastructure and $50 million will be used to help businesses recover. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says this is likely just the start of the Cyclone Gabrielle recovery efforts. Fran O'Sullivan says announcing this recovery fund ear...

The Government has announced a Cyclone Gabrielle emergency package of $250 million for roads and $50 million for businesses. Chris Hipkins has also extended the state of emergency another 7 days and established a cyclone recovery taskforce. The taskforce would be headed by Sir Brian Roche and Grant Robertson will be the new Cyclone Recovery Minister. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper...

Pace bowler Matt Henry has made his return to the Black Caps. Matt Henry missed the team's first test defeat for the birth of his daughter, but will be back on the team on Friday. Newstalk ZB Wellington sportsreader Adam Cooper says Matt Henry's return will boost the team's bowling capabilities, but the Black Caps are still under-performing when it comes to batting. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com...

Today on The Huddle, former Labour Press Secretary Kaine Thompson and Kiwiblog writer and Curia Pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following topics:  Why hasn't the Government sent the Defence Force in to deal with the crime wave in Hawke's Bay? Napier's mayor wants it, but the police are yet to ask. How does this make Labour look? Roald Dahl's books are undergoing a re-writ...

Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has opened a discussion about changing superannuation tax concessions. Chalmers has argued that there needs to be focus on the long-term sustainability of the scheme and future changes to the system need to be compatible with its objective. Chalmers also denounced 'disastrous' policy proposals, namely the decision to withdraw billions of dollars from the superannu...

The Government has announced a Cyclone Gabrielle emergency package of $300 million. $250 million will be spent of the roads, $50 million will be going towards supporting businesses and a new cyclone recovery task force will be created. Newly designated Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson says this package is just the beginning and work will be required over the next weeks and years. Grant Ro...

The Hawke's Bay Regional Council had defended their decision to not formally evacuate Esk Valley residents. Low-lying regions were given notice to evacuate on Monday February 13 and the Regional Council didn't see the need for a formal evacuation. The Regional Council says the rising floodwaters changed swiftly and were double what had been forecast. Hawke's Bay Today editor Chris Hyde says the co...

Concerned Hawke's Bay residents have asked the Government to bring in the Defence Force. Locals have formed blockades to keep out looters and road workers have reported being threatened with guns. Despite this, Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says the situation is under control and there is a lot of inaccurate information circulating. "There have been examples of very bad behaviour here and we w...

Can anyone explain why the Government hasn’t sent the Defence Force into Hawke’s bay to keep order?  Clearly people need help, and there clearly aren’t enough police.  There are reports of looting, people in Puketaphu are manning overnight road blocks to keep looters out. Same apparently in Rissington.  NewsHub reported last night that as soon as generators arrived, people blockade them with cars...