Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

More than 70 percent of diesel drivers buying up large amounts of discounted fuel are thought to be rorting the system. Purchasers were only meant to buy the number of units they'd typically use over a three-month period. But spot checks by Waka Kotahi on large purchases reveals 73 percent are likely to be excessive. Transporting NZ CEO, Nick Leggett joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE S...

A full review will investigate an overnight rooftop protest by six teen inmates at Hawke's Bay Regional Prison. Two climbed down this morning, and the last four finally surrendered to corrections officers. The stand off apparently kicked off when the group weren't allowed in the sports area yesterday. There is damage - including broken windows. Corrections Chief Custodial Officer Neale Beales told...

The dust has now settled on Andrew Little's healthcare workforce announcement. The industry have come out strongly, saying more financial support is needed to keep nurses and doctors here as well. None of the announced measures solve the problem of being able to earn significantly more in places like Australia.  Jenny Carryer, executive director of the NZ College of Nurses joined Heather du Plessi...

Prince Charles is facing more questions over his charities after a newspaper reported that one of his funds accepted a £1 million ($1.96m) donation from relatives of Osama bin Laden. The Sunday Times reported that the Prince of Wales's Charitable Fund received the money in 2013 from Bakr bin Laden, patriarch of the large and wealthy Saudi family, and his brother Shafiq. Both are half-brothers of t...

Michael Hill has become the first major retailer in Australasia to become an accredited seller of lab-grown diamonds. The jewellery chain has been selling synthetic diamonds since 2020. But now they can officially say they are carbon neutral and be accurately traced back to their source of manufacturing. First Retail Group managing director Chris Wilkinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN A...

Jacinda Ardern has spoken at the China Business Summit this morning. She said she is looking forward to the resumption of ministerial visits with China as Covid allows, and she hoped to lead a business delegation herself "to renew and refresh in-person connections”. She’s also called for "diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue”, which comes after Chinese threats to US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit t...

Defence for the cost of living payment after some overseas residents and former migrants receive the first deposit. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says some living overseas will get the boost, but it's not worth trying to recover the payment. People can opt out, and Inland Revenue confirms nearly 1000 have so far. Acting Finance Minister David Parker told Heather du Plessis-Allan says there's no ex...

Around 2.1 million people will have received the first of the three cost of living payments today. However, some of the money has gone to overseas expats, some of which will have shocked some who have returned to their home countries. The owner of a Christchurch brewery is calling for prices to be removed from advertising. Three Boys Brewery's Ralph Bungard reckons that doing so will help curb our...

New Zealand's offering to pay overseas nurses their course costs to lure them to the country. It's part of a tranche of measures to bolster our health workforce, including paying former nurses to sign back up. The Government will also cover international doctors' salaries during training - and double the nurse practitioners being trained. Health Minister Andrew Little told Heather du Plessis-Allan...

A Christchurch brewer wants prices removed from alcohol advertising to help curb binge drinking. Three Boys Brewery won Exhibitor of the Year at this year's New Zealand Brewers Guild Beer Awards. Owner Ralph Bungard believes most problems with alcohol over-consumption are linked to low prices. Bungard told Heather du Plessis-Allan retailers use it as leverage to get people in stores to buy other p...

A reminder of the need for better awareness of domestic violence. The College of GPs says it wants more training for GPs to treat victims. Women's Refuge CEO Ang Jury told Heather du Plessis-Allan some are falling through the cracks. She says often women go to the doctor with symptoms which aren't recognised as abuse. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Australian citizen says she and her partner have been given New Zealand's cost of living payment, despite having returned home after less than a year here. PM Jacinda Ardern has confirmed some people overseas will get the boost, but the cost of trying to recover payments would outstrip the benefits. Kelly McGuire told Heather du Plessis-Allan her payment was a surprise. She says her partner ear...

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand is again opening its arms to tourists and students from China, as the borders fully re-open today under Covid management. She said she is looking forward to the resumption of ministerial visits with China as Covid allows, and she hoped to lead a business delegation herself "to renew and refresh in-person connections". In a veiled reference to China's...

The medals keep coming for New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games. The Black Ferns Sevens had to settle for bronze after a shock loss to Australia in the semi-finals. Meanwhile, triathlete Hayden Wilde is aiming to appeal the penalty that cost him the gold medal. Jeff Wilson has come out swinging against Scott Robertson. On The Breakdown on Sky, Wilson criticised Robertson's comments about NZ Rugby...

A war of words has broken out between Electric Kiwi and Consumer NZ over the running of a power comparison site. Powerswitch was set up with Government funding to help consumers find the best power deal using independent advice. However, Electric Kiwi plans have been removed after the company refused to pay commission fees. Electric Kiwi chief marketing officer Andy Cooper joined Heather du Plessi...

Turns out the Government’s giving the $350 cost of living payment to expat Kiwis who live overseas and foreigners who might’ve only briefly lived in New Zealand as temporary migrants and who might’ve been here years ago. We don’t know how many. The Government doesn’t know how many or it does and it won’t say how many.   I’m not angry about this because you can only really get angry if you expected...

Lincolnshire Police are investigating the stabbing of a nine-year-old girl in a shopping centre. German city Hanover shuts off its hot water supply with a gas shortage looming. Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral is on course to re-open by 2024. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping are exploring meeting in person, a senior administration official said after the leaders spent more than two hours Thursday talking through the future of their complicated relationship, with tension over Taiwan once again emerging as a flashpoint. Biden conducted the telephone call from the Oval Office, where he was joined by top aides, including Secretar...

I feel the cops are being lined up to take the blame for the increase in this year’s road deaths, and I actually don’t think that would be fair at all. It turns out we’re heading for a high road toll again this year. According to officials, we’re probably going to end up with somewhere between 350 to 360 deaths. If you look across the last decade, that’s very much at the high end of things. And it...

National, the Greens, ACT and a former Reserve Bank chairman are calling for a public inquiry into the Reserve Bank's response to Covid. It comes after Graeme Wheeler says central banks made serious errors in wake of the pandemic which now need to be acknowledged and corrected. A research paper co-authored by Bryce Wilkinson for the New Zealand Initiative argues central banks were too confident ab...

Consumer confidence may be low, but New Zealand households are still spending. This is according to the latest ANZ-Roy Morgan numbers, which show that while consumer confidence is still really, really low, it has gone up a little bit this month, which is good news. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Aaron Smith has taken aim at All Blacks critics. The veteran half-back has labelled criticism after the Ireland series loss as “hurtful, ridiculous and ruthless”. It comes after former NZR CEO David Moffett has called for Mark Robinson’s resignation. The Manly Sea Eagles jersey saga has come to an anti-climactic end after their loss to the Sydney Roosters. Seven players refused to play after they...

A motorist tired of waiting for council to fill in a road of potholes that resemble Swiss cheese has taken to fixing it himself - and he's sending a bill to the local authority for the repair. The gravel rural road in northwest Auckland was left with more than 20 holes on a 20-metre stretch so densely pitted there was no way for drivers to avoid running into them. A post has appeared on a local no...

Changes could be coming to the feebate scheme. The scheme has paid out nearly a $100 million more in rebates than it has collected in fees. Until the end of June, the scheme paid out $116.9 million in discounts, but it only collected $25m in revenue. It only began collecting fees on April 1 this year, and was funded by a $300 million loan from July 1 last year to April 1. Labour seems to be rushin...

Up to 20 meteors an hour will be flying across New Zealand skies tonight. Three meteor showers are combining this weekend. Otago Museum director and astronomer Ian Griffins told Heather du Plessis Allan there's no moon so it's a great time to see it. “If you've got a decent view of the sky and a relatively dark spot, you'll see quite a few meteors. And it's not just tonight, it's over the whole we...