Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Today on The Huddle, Neale Jones from Capital PR firm, and Trish Sherson from Sherson Wills PR are here to talk about the following:  Local body elections- how is Ardern denying that this is a referendum on her Government? - Absolute scenes in the Gore race with a 23 year old possibly winning. - Shadbolt says his world his shattered after not even being elected to council. - Tania Tapsell says Mao...

Over in the UK, consumer spending appears to be slowing down, as people are more concerned about spending money. High end retailers on London's West End have reported that UK shoppers are spending less money and consumer spending is slowing down, with international visitors making up the bulk of luxury shoppers. UK correspondent Kay Oliver explains why the UK is facing a spending crisis, between t...

Cancer care advocate Melissa Vining says Southland hospital is on the brink of collapse. She says she's received a large number of messages from staff, outlining their concerns. Melissa explained the relevant staff issues, and how it impacted the shutdown of wards and wait times. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson is headed to New York on a business delegation, where he will meet with the World Bank and IMF. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan has some insider insight into these discussions, and explains to us why Grant Robertson's timing is perfect in this interesting- and challenging- financial climate. "What people are looking for is- what is the further downgrading...

Finance Minister Grant Robertson is off to New York tonight on a business delegation. As part of the trip he'll be meeting the U.S Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, and head to a World Bank and IMF meeting. Grant Robertson discusses what he expects to get out of tonight’s delegation, as well as reaffirm his confidence in his chosen political party. "I think it'll be a great chance to reconnect...

An expert says results from reality TV show The Block is a good indication of today's property market. This year's winners sold their house for just $4000 above the reserve, and two others didn't meet reserve. The winners' profit was the smallest in the show's 10 years. One Roof Property Commentator Ashley Church says  it reflects cooling prices. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

It's the story that really keeps on giving- National has launched a ‘Pothole of the Week’ competition. If you reckon you've got a contender, you just post it on the National Party Facebook group, and the party will pick a winner. National Party Transport Spokesperson, Simeon Brown explains the purpose of this social media competition, and why it goes deeper than bragging rights. “We’ve seen pothol...

Rotorua's new mayor says the town needs an 'exit strategy' for emergency housing. The lakeside town has more than 50 emergency housing motels - a number that jumped significantly after the first Covid lockdown in March 2020. Tania Tapsell says there has to be a better answer. "My first day on the job started 5:30 am, and I've already been pushing these strong messages to make sure we can get that...

The former CEO of Auckland economic growth agency ATEED says it would be unprecedented to fire directors of council-controlled organisations. Auckland Transport's board chair resigned on Saturday night, and new mayor Wayne Brown has called for the chair of Eke Panuku Development Auckland to also stand down. Employers and Manufacturers Association CEO, Brett O'Riley, says resigning on Saturday was...

The 2022 local body elections have wrapped up, and it's been observed that Labour endorsed candidates didn't do well with the voting public. Between Efso Collins losing Auckland's mayoral race to Wayne Brown and Paul Eagle losing Wellington's votes to Tory Whanau, voting trends indicate that Labour endorsed candidates aren't polling well.  Political editor Barry Soper talks about Jacinda Ardern's...

Chris Dawson's estranged daughter has recently revealed that she believes from under hypnosis, she has recovered memories of her father burying her mother, Lynette, under their family's pool. This statement comes 40 years after her her father was found guilty of murdering his missing wife following her disappearance from their Bayview home. Australian correspondent, Oliver Peterson, has more to ex...

During last night's Twenty20 Black Caps match at Christchurch's Hagley Oval, a young spectator was struck in the face by a cricket ball and sent to hospital.  Since the incident, questions about spectator safety have been raised, and NZ Cricket is looking to avoid similar problems by implementing safety measures. Newstalk ZB Canterbury sports reader, Nick Bewley talks us through some of the soluti...

The current staffing shortage is still impacting prisons, with seven facilities currently being shut to the public. Nearly half of all prisoners are unsure as to whether they'll get the chance to have 30 minute visits with family and friends again. Corrections says that the staffing shortage is a health and safety issue, and they have 500 jobs to fill in order to reinstate the visitation rights. H...

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Liz Truss still isn't well received by the voting public. New data out of the UK indicates that Liz Truss is polling unfavourably in the eyes of 74 percent of voters. UK correspondent, Enda Brady, explains why this may be the case.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Europe, the banks liquidity is in the spotlight again with shares in Credit Suisse plunging this week. Swiss banks are feeling impacted by this, as it affects their profits. Sam Dickie, Portfolio Manager at Fisher Funds is here to offer his insight into these plunging shares. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new strain of M.bovis has recently been detected on a farm in Canterbury.  Jamie Mackay, host of The Country is here to explain what this means for farmers and where it might have come from today. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Huddle, Nick Leggett, Chief Executive of Transport NZ and Sam Johnson, Student Volunteer Army CEO are here to talk about: Bullying, it's been a problem for generations, can we prevent it in the age of social media? Won't kids find ways around any restrictions? How can we make roads safer after yet another accident on the infamous Waikato 'death trap' road? Especially since Labour's be...

There has been some debate as to whether or not the New Zealand job market has peaked. Recent data coming out of Seek indicates that it has, and employers say that it's gotten easier to find staff. Liam Dann, NZ Herald business editor, is here to weigh in on this discussion. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is considering allowing local councils more freedom in terms of deciding which land gets turned over to forestry in their communities. Consultation is open today, and Lawrence Yule, Founding Partner of Yule Alexander Consulting, is working with local councils during this process. Lawrence Yule is here to offer some insight into this discussion.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/liste...

There has been a significant issue with school aged girls assaulting people and filming it for social media. Just this week, we have witnessed two separate videos of school girls in Pukekohe violently attacking peers. In May 2022, 13 year old Eva Vitali was attacked by a group of girls at Orewa College, and the assault was posted to social media shortly after. Eva's father, Mike Vitali, is here to...

There has been a uptick in police cars being rammed over the course of this year. Between early 2022 to August, 105 have been rammed so far. In half of that time frame, the damage costs are around $200,000 in insurance payouts.  Here to discuss the scope of this problem is Police Association President, Chris Cahill. "They're ramming to get away, they're ramming to deter the police pursuing them, t...

Michael Hill, a company that has been frequently targeted by ram raids over the last few months, is beefing up their security measures.  The jewellery store has been the victim of three high profile ram raids, the latest of which happened today. As such, the company is including fog cannons, DNA spray, and personal alarms for staff into building security.  Rob Fyfe, Chairman of Michael Hill is her...

Questions remain around Oranga Tamariki's handling of the death of Malachi Subecz. The five year old died in the organisation's care, after being abused by his caretaker months prior, and investigations are still ongoing. Here to discuss Oranga Tamariki's handling of the investigation and reluctance to answer further questions is Merepeka Raukawa-Tait, Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency chair. "They...

Oranga Tamariki has yet to run a full investigation into the handling of Malachi Subecz's death nine months after the fact.  Kelvin Davis and the rest of the current Labour government have been pressed for comment, and political editor Barry Soper is here to discuss Kelvin Davis's statement. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, there has been some intensive debating about how to proceed with tax cuts. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian Labour government are in the process of figuring out how to pass the stage 3 tax cuts in a way that benefits everyone. Australian correspondent Murray Olds explains it all here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.