Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has promised to re-prioritise the focus of Labour to reflect the current concerns of New Zealand voters. Hipkins has stated he plans to rein in some Government programs that are less "essential" right now and address the issues surrounding the economy, business owners, and the cost of living. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says that it will be hard...

Today on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Neale Jones from PR firm Capital joined in on a discussion on the following issues of the day: Do you think incoming Prime Minister Chris Hipkins will help Labour win the next election or is it already too late? Will a change in leadership help Labour turn their image around and win voters over?  Does Chris Hipkins need to outright scra...

ASB has cut some of their mortgage rates, with their five year home loan rate dropping to 6.49 percent. This puts it lower than their one year home loan rate, which is currently at 6.84 percent. ASB economist Mark Smith says the key factor driving down their long-term interest rates is the expectation that inflation will stay high until 2025 and short term interest rates will need to be up for lon...

The cost of living crisis is stopping some families connecting with each other. The Council of Trade Union’s latest Mood of the Workforce Survey has found three out of four people's incomes can't match inflation, with most respondents citing grocery prices as their biggest problem. Mortgages, rent and transport aren't far behind. CTU Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges says some people say they don't...

Time passes and priorities change. That's from our incoming Prime Minister as he heads into a week of decision on which what issues should be high on the Government's fix-it list. Chris Hipkins says global factors are driving up our cost of living, and although our inflation rate is high, it's one of the best in the world. He rejects the suggestion Jacinda Ardern's Government dropped the ball and...

Accomplished Kiwi snowboarder has won the LAAX Open Slopestyle World Cup in Switzerland earlier today. This win marks a first in this event for the 21-year-old athlete's snowboarding career, who has wanted to win the LAAX Open since she started competing.  Zoi Sadowski-Synnott's father Sean Synnott says the thrill of seeing his daughter accomplish within the sport hasn't worn off. "This is only he...

Following Jacinda Ardern's abrupt resignation, Chris Hipkins has taken over as Prime Minister in the lead-up to the 2023 election. Chris Hipkins is currently the leader of the Labour Party and will be responsible for ensuring that Labour gets a third term in Government. However, ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says that Chris Hipkins winning the election for Labour is unlikely, as...

A boat crash that happened south of Perth has killed two people, with investigations into the cause of the crash currently ongoing. One of the victims killed in the crash has been identified as the mother of AFL West Coast Eagles defender Rhett Bazzo. The cause of this crash is still under investigation, with the injured driver of the boat in stable condition aiding the process. Australian corresp...

Kiwi snowboarder Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has recently won the LAAX Open Slopestyle World Cup in Switzerland this morning. Sadowski-Synnott finished the event with a first run score of 81.30, which was held up as the top score of the day, cementing her win. Weekend Sport host Jason Pine says that Zoi Sadowski-Synnott has more in store over the weekend, as she is expected to compete in the upcoming Asp...

An Auckland mum has moved her family across the ditch to Sydney so she can access a life-saving drug. Fiona Tolich has been advocating for Pharmac to fund Spinraza since she developed spinal muscular atrophy 12 years ago. Pharmac has announced it's funding the medicine for under 19s from this year, but Tolich isn't young enough. Fiona says she couldn't take the chance on waiting for funding for he...

Wellington City council has agreed to buy 474 off-street car parks — to offset revenue loss from carparks taken off the street. They voted yesterday to purchase Tory Street's Century city parking building for 13 million dollars. Meanwhile, hundreds of on-street spaces have been removed in the CBD to make way for sustainable transport options such as cycleways. Councillor Dianne Calvert says it's n...

A South Island farm has been named one of the world’s best places to stay by a highly influential travel magazine: Condé Nast. Lake Hawea Station has been recognised on the Gold List of the 25 best hotels and retreats in the world, the only spot in New Zealand to do so. The resort on a 6500-hectare property near Wanaka, is home to 10 thousand merino sheep and 200 Angus cattle Co-owner Jussie Ross...

Doctors in the US are concerned about the level of vaccine-fatigue across the country. American households are once again able to order free at-home Covid-19 tests, as the government attempts to limit the spread of the virus this winter. The test programme was paused in September, but restarted yesterday as cases start to spike again. But, US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson says there seems to be som...

Suggestions the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's tide of popularity might be turning among American royal-watchers. The second instalment of Prince Harry and Meghan's highly talked-about Netflix docu-series hit TV screens last night. Harry accuses royal aides of leaking negative briefings to the press, and blames media savagery for Meghan's miscarriage. But LA Entertainment correspondent Sean Mandell...

Nurses across England, Ireland, and Wales have started striking today after ministers refused to discuss boosting their pay.  The nurses will still provide life-saving treatments and urgent care services, but less essential routine surgeries have been disrupted by the strikes. Thousands of operations and outpatient surgeries have been cancelled since the beginning of the strike. The nurses' union...

2022 is nearly over, and it may give investors some lessons to take into the new year. According to a Senior Portfolio Manager at Fisher Funds, we may have to get used to aftershocks from the Covid-19 pandemic for the next few years impacting the economy. The lockdowns generated highs and lows, and investments can turn on a dime. It's also important for industries to listen to consumer demand, as...

The New Zealand GDP figures have surpassed expectations by going up 2 percent, but it may come with consequences. This economic growth was helped by a surge in service activity, international tourism and exports following the borders opening and Covid-19 restrictions easing up. Service industries, warehousing, and transport were among the leading forces in growth. Economists had predicted a 0.9 pe...

Farmer confidence is at its lowest on record, according to Rabobank's Rural Confidence Survey. The final survey results for 2022 showcase farmer confidence is at a twenty year low, despite the sector having pulled through a fair amount of recent challenges. Farmer confidence is now at -71 per cent, from -31 per cent previously. This lack of confidence in the industry is linked to concerns surround...

Today on The Huddle: Mike Munroe, former Labour Chief of Staff and current director at Mike Munroe Communications and Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Tim Southee is set to replace Kane Williamson as the new Black Caps test captain. What sort of perspective will he bring to the team, and will this change do the team some goo...

Spark is having discussions with TVNZ about the future of Spark Sport. Spark informed the NZX that they were talking to TVNZ about a content partnering agreement that covered Spark Sport's extensive portfolio. Neither TVNZ or Spark have officially confirmed whether Spark Sport will be sold outright or the content rights will expand to TVNZ. Gorilla Technology Chief Executive Paul Spain says Spark...

Kane Williamson relinquished his Black Caps test captaincy earlier today and Tim Southee is set to be his successor. Tim Southee will start his captaincy with the two-test tour of Pakistan later this month and Black Caps coach Gary Stead said Tim was the best choice for the role based on the direction the team aims to go in the future. Tim Southee says that the timing felt right for him to step up...

Suggestions our strong GDP figures could mean a bigger Official Cash Rate hike next February. New Zealand's GDP has grown two percent in the three months to September which is a higher growth rate than Australia, the US, the UK and the EU. Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr says it doesn't change our gloomy economic outlook, with the Treasury and Reserve Bank forecasting a recession next year. "...

Auckland Airport is lauding its new squad of security officers. The behavioural detection officers watch out for strange behaviour and have reportedly caught hundreds of criminals. The group manager of operations at the Aviation Security Service says the officers notice signs others might miss. Karen Urwin says everyone's met a person who seems strange, but couldn't work out why. She says experts...

Wayne Brown is being called out for a gaffe this morning. The Auckland Mayor suggested at a council meeting Auckland Airport would be raising capital to fund a new domestic terminal. NZX regulator, NZ RegCo, halted trading for the publicly listed company for 70 minutes until the Airport clarified it had no such plans, and planned to use debt instead. Political Commentator Grant Duncan says it's a...

The Government may be open to oil and gas exploration continuing in the next parliamentary term. Energy and Resources Minister Megan Woods said today that the Government was deferring making decisions on the future of onshore oil and gas exploration. Megan Woods also said that she isn't committing to any further block offers and will revisit this issue in the next parliamentary term, where there w...