Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

An urgent court hearing has been set for Tuesday following a set of parents refusing to allow blood from Covid-vaccinated people to be used in their baby's heart surgery. Health NZ is seeking court guardianship of the unwell four-month-old, and their lawyer flagged the urgency of this situation.  The parents' lawyer, Sue Grey, says that treating the baby is an urgent matter here, as it would be ea...

The country's housing market challenges have hit The Block NZ. Warner Brothers Discovery has revealed the show won't be back in 2023, even though it was announced as part of the network’s annual showcase at the beginning of this month. It will be replaced by a Kiwi version of Australian format, House Rules. OneRoof property commentator, Ashley Church, says it's a wise decision. "It's probably just...

It's set to be a big day for unions with the Fair Pay Agreements system coming into effect tomorrow. It means eligible unions can apply to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment for approval to begin bargaining for a specific industry. The Council of Trade Unions President Richard Wagstaff says he understands many unions are ready to hit the ground running. "Once they've initiated, th...

Warnings letting a couple reject "jabbed" blood donations for their baby would set a dangerous precedent. It's understood Health New Zealand is seeking court guardianship of the unwell four-month-old, with a court hearing set down for next Tuesday. The parents won't allow doctors to use blood given by people vaccinated against Covid-19 for his crucial heart surgery. Instead, the pair want to use t...

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin met with Jacinda Ardern in Auckland earlier today. This is the Finnish PM's first visit to New Zealand, and she's also expected to travel to Australia later in the week to deliver a speech on the Russia-Ukraine war. Political editor Barry Soper says that this visit is also supposed to be good for Jacinda Ardern, as it will strengthen international trade relations...

The US Senate has passed new legislation that will protect same-sex and interracial marriage. The bill is known as the Respect for Marriage Act, and the Democrats are hoping Joe Biden will sign it into law before Republicans take over the House. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson explained how this legislation would work tokeep same-sex and interracial marriages recognised by law. LISTEN ABOVE See om...

The Black Sox are on the upswing, having bounced back from their loss against Argentina to defeat the Philippines 8-1. This upcoming round against Cuba will determine whether or not the Black Sox will advance over to the Super Round, the next phase of the Softball World Cup. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave weighed in on the Black Sox's chances of winning and moving forward.  LISTEN ABOVE See omn...

Auckland Transport has told 475 property owners that their homes will be affected by the new Botany to Auckland Airport transport route. Residents say they're shocked by this, with some being told to hand over their homes for the construction of the project. They've written to Auckland Transport and MPs in hope of stalling this, while more information is found out. Ali Shakir is a resident whose h...

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spent his first major foreign policy speech warning people about Chinese President Xi Jinping's regime. Rishi Sunak went on to describe China as a “systemic challenge to our values and interests”. UK correspondent Enda Brady says that between the current anti-government protests and the recent assault on a BBC journalist, Rishi Sunak may have been holding...

Australia's Reserve Bank Governor is apologizing for not being clear enough with when interest rates would move. As late as November last year, Governor Philip Lowe said the bank was likely to hold the OCR steady, at record lows. HSBC Chief Economist Paul Bloxham explained how this communication error may have happened. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2022 edition of the National Agricultural Fieldays show begins tomorrow, after being postponed due to Covid-19.  The Country's Jamie Mackay spoke to ZB ahead of the event and addressed the question on people's minds- will Jacinda Ardern make an appearance this year? There's no confirmation either way.  Jamie Mackay says appearing at Fieldays after all the regulatory changes the Government has...

Big moves for Meridian's green hydrogen project in Southland, as they have picked a collaborator off a shortlist. Meridian Energy chose the Australian oil and gas giant Woodside Energy as their preferred partner to develop this plant. It would produce hydrogen and ammonia from renewable energy on a wide scale. Pattrick Smellie, BusinessDesk managing editor says that Meridian's final decision was u...

Today on The Huddle: Jordan Williams, Taxpayer Union Executive Director and Neale Jones from Capital PR joined in on a discussion on these issues of the day- and more! The fleeing drivers policy will be revised, but Police Commissioner Andrew Coster won't say what it will change to. Does the law need to change? Can New Zealand afford to keep the retirement age at 65?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.c...

I’m going to hold off on celebrating the police announcement this morning that they’re reviewing their pursuit policy. Because I smell politics all over this, and I want to see what they’re doing before I give Police National Headquarters any praise. What’s changed? Nothing, nothing’s changed. They’re still not chasing cars that are fleeing from them, are they? They’re just thinking about it. Just...

Some local councils are complaining they haven't been given enough time to give their views on RMA reforms. The closing date for submissions on new Resource Management legislation is January 30, right after the summer break. The Government promises the law changes will provide a faster, cheaper system. Rangitikei District Mayor Andy Watson says his team will be under incredible pressure to get the...

The World of Wearable Art festival is officially moving to new ownership today. Kiwi arts company STILL has bought the show, following the founders bowing out after years of difficulty under Covid-19. The globally significant festival brings more than 60,000 people to Wellington, and has a prize pool of more than $185,000 dollars. WOW Chief Executive David Tingey says the event's in safe hands and...

The Small Passenger Service Association is warning potential customers that independent taxi drivers are violating industry guidelines.  Warren Quirke, the Small Passenger Service Association Executive Director is concerned about the lack of oversight in the industry, and he feels that independent taxi drivers are taking advantage of that.  Warren says that these independent taxi drivers are overc...

The Retirement Commissioner is explaining why she wants superannuation to stay at 65. Her report on income policies advises keeping the status-quo, a change from predecessors who advocated hiking the age to 67. Jane Wrightson says  some believe an age of 65 is unaffordable and she's asking where that evidence came from. She says research shows if the age rises, women, Maori, and Pasifika will hurt...

There are concerns returning the police pursuit policy to how it used to be would mean more dead bodies. Police say change is in the wind as they aim for a balanced position, after a more cautious approach was adopted two years ago. In the years since, fleeing driver cases have significantly risen and the proportion of offenders identified has significantly decreased. Road Safety Campaigner Clive...

Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert has recently warned the region that Iran has infiltrated Australia. Kylie Moore-Gilbert was studying in Iran before being sent to prison on a spying conviction for 800 days. She is currently warning Australian authorities that Iranian state operatives are monitoring people. According to Kylie, Iranian-Australians who have attended anti-Government protests on...

The Three Waters entrenchment amendment has inspired discussions and debate, and this may be going on within the Government itself. Political editor Barry Soper has observed that there may be some friction going on between some key members of cabinet regarding the entrenchment amendment. Barry Soper also states that Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins have both admitted to not being aware of the plan...

The World Softball Championship is underway, and the Black Sox are barely hanging on after their last two games. They lost 7-0 to the US over the weekend and lost their lead to Argentina last night with a final score of 11-5. They have one last shot to maintain their place in the World Softball Championship later  tonight, and Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave discussed their chances of bouncing b...

An Australian-born GP based in Lower Hutt has decided to return to her home country, and she's blaming New Zealand's 'broken' healthcare system.  Corinne Glenn wrote an opinion piece for The Spinoff describing these issues. The piece states that healthcare funding needs to start with primary care, which has been neglected for the past decade. Corinne says that she wants to stay committed to her ro...

On the Italian island of Ischia, seven people were killed in a landslide last weekend, including two young siblings and a three-week-old baby.  People in Italy are outraged because some buildings in areas of high risk exacerbated the crisis and contributed to the debris that killed these people.  UK correspondent Gavin Grey says that Ischia has been hit by many earthquakes and landslides, and the...

With the Reserve Bank trying to engineer a recession, where does that leave our students trying to enter the workforce? The Otago University Student's Association says budgets are tightening for businesses, and students are nervous about getting work. Professor of Management at AUT, Candice Harris says that there are currently lots of opportunities for graduates in this country, but they need to m...