Holiday Breakfast

Wellington Council’s decision to sell its 34% share in Wellington Airport may put rates up in the future.   The highly contested decision to sell the shares has passed - and the proceeds will be invested in a perpetual fund.   At least three councillors, who previously agreed to sell the shares, now say they've changed their minds - and the move to sell would fail if a vote happened today.   Mayor...

Transporting New Zealand says the Government's struck a good spending balance – with investment in the future.   The government's announced the finalisation of its Policy Statement on Land Transport, to the tune of $22 billion.   It'll be used to improve road maintenance, build roads of national significance, improve public transport, and bring in roadside drug testing.   Transporting NZ Policy Le...

Self-taught rocket scientist Sir Peter Beck had humble beginnings as a Fisher & Paykel Appliances apprentice.   Since 2006, he’s been chief executive of Rocket Lab – which has been pivotal in growing New Zealand’s $1.69 billion space industry.   Employing 1,800 staff, Beck’s Rocket Lab is second only to Elon Musk’s Space X as the most prolific commercial launch provider globally.   It has work...

Around 70 Kiwis turning 18 from August will become the first cohort legally allowed to seek details about their donor parent from Births, Deaths and Marriages.   As officials prepare for requests about donor-biological parents, a team of University of Auckland researchers are asking their own questions in a new nationwide survey.   Since the Human Assisted Reproductive Technologies (Hart) register...

In 1999, Theresa Gattung became the first female chief executive of a major New Zealand company at Telecom (now Spark).   She broke through a major glass ceiling – paving the way for a prolific corporate career - co-founding My Food Bag, sitting on the board of healthcare start-up Tend, as well as the dating website Compatico.    She’s been named a Dame in this King’s Birthday Honours alongside Jo...

The construction of new builds is coming to a halt.   About 35,000 new builds were given consent in the last year – more than a 20% drop from the period ending April 2023.  This is being chalked up to inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.   Chief Executive of Building Industry Federation, Julien Leys, told Tim Beveridge “The Covid building boom is over.”   Leys said “Interestingly enough, the r...

Prime Minister Chris Luxon will visit Niue and Fiji this week to develop and reaffirm New Zealand's cooperation with the region.   This will be Luxon’s first visit to the Pacific as Prime Minister.   Political Editor Jason Walls told Tim Beveridge “He’s expecting to be received warmly and get a good welcome. It’s a strategic area of the world for New Zealand.”   Walls said “He’s been in the job fo...

Award-winning NZ businesswoman Joan Withers has been made a Dame Companion of the NZ Order of Merit for services to business, government and women.   She’s led many prominent companies, including: The Warehouse, Mercury Energy, Auckland International Airport and TVNZ.   Dame Joan Withers told Tim Beveridge “You’re the first person I've had call me that – it is weird.”   Withers said “People with b...

Australian Defence Minister, Richard Marles, was critical of China's military build-up during his speech at a security conference in Singapore.   Marles later met with his Chinese counterpart to raise his concerns face-to-face.   The Shangri-La Dialogue has continued over the weekend, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to speak on Sunday.   Australian Correspondent Murray Old...

American Public opinion on former US President Donald Trump's guilty verdict has remained mostly unchanged.   The Presidential candidate's been convicted of all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the New York hush money trial.   US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Tim Beveridge “A poll has revealed today that Americans are divided – 50% believe that the verdict is correct, and 27% do not...

The Government's Budget centrepiece has been passed in the House, meaning tax cuts will become law.   Income tax brackets have been shifted, giving most earners an extra $4-40 take-home pay each fortnight.   Infometrics Principal Economist and CEO Brad Olsen told Tim Beveridge “The IRD estimates there’s around nine thousand people who will get slightly less than a dollar a week over the course of...

The working class man and one of Australia's most beloved musicians, Jimmy Barnes, is heading back to our shores for his 'Hell of a Time' tour.     Over the length of his career Barnes has achieved 15 solo number-one albums in Australia, becoming 21 when combined with the five earned as the lead singer of ‘Cold Chisel’, resulting in him having the highest number of any artist, including the Beatle...

Dawn services have been held around the country this morning. On ANZAC Day, thousands of soldiers who fought for New Zealand in the great World Wars are remembered.   Winston Peters and the Kiwi Defence Force contingent are at the Gallipoli Dawn Service. The Defence Force had a rocky start to the visit, with lost bags amid the chaos of Dubai’s floods meaning they will now play a reduced role in th...

Labour Party Leader Chris Hipkins says yesterday’s cabinet reshuffle shows “the wheels are falling off already”.   Paul Goldsmith will take over Melissa Lee’s role as Broadcasting Minister and Louise Upston will take over from Penny Simmonds as Disability Issues Minister.   Hipkins tells Roman Travers Lee didn’t come up with a single new idea on how to deal with the changing media landscape in her...

The Warriors are dusting themselves off from last week’s shocking loss to the Dragons. The team are looking to hit back hard in today’s ANZAC Day clash against the Gold Coast Titans.   Former Warriors player and commentator Adam Blair tells Roman Travers the Warriors need to bounce back after letting themselves down defensively last week.   The Warriors have lost their past eight ANZAC Day games b...

Yesterday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced a cabinet reshuffle, dropping Melissa Lee from the Media and Communications portfolio. Paul Goldsmith will take over the role.   Former Newshub Head of News Mark Jennings tells Roman Travers when it came to the crunch, Lee didn’t deliver. A major factor in Lee’s removal was her failure to present a coherent plan or solution for problems current...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon dropped a shocking cabinet reshuffle yesterday, stripping two ministers of their portfolios.   Melissa Lee is out of cabinet and lost the Media and Communications portfolio and Penny Simmonds has been dropped as Disability Issues Minister.   Luxon tells Roman Travers the complexity of the two portfolios has increased dramatically over the last few months and he wan...

Britain will boost its defence spending to 2.5 percent of national output by the end of the decade.   UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak made the pledge when meeting with secretary general of NATO Jens Stoltenberg. The rise in spending will equate to £ 78 billion and dwarfs NATO contributions from countries like Germany, France, Italy and Spain.   UK correspondent Rod Liddle tells Roman Travers that Su...

Venice, Italy will introduce a tax for day trippers to enter the city.   Italian correspondent Jo McKenna tells Roman Travers the tax’s introduction could cause chaos due to the lack of awareness about it. Day trippers can register online, stating their intention to go to Venice. The tax will cost New Zealand visitors €10 per person.   Meanwhile, a 13 month old baby boy has been killed by two pitb...

As interest rates globally have risen significantly in recent weeks, many investors are pushing back the timing for interest rate cuts.   Yesterday, Australia saw a falling annual inflation rate. Annual inflation in the year to March was 3.6 percent – less than the hoped-for 3.4 percent, which the Reserve Bank had indicated would be the level needed to cut interest rates later in the year.   Meanw...

Big changes for the Reserve Bank, as it appoints new members to its Monetary Policy Committee. University of Auckland macroeconomics professor Prasanna Gai and former Electricity Authority chief executive Carl Hansen will take up their posts later in the year. Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold explains what these new changes could mean for the future of the OCR. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com...

The Warriors played in front of a sold-out crowd at Auckland's own Mt Smart stadium- and were rewarded with a win. Despite a leg injury taking down Luke Metcalf in the first 10 minutes, the team beat the Newcastle Knights 20-12. ZB sport commentator Elliot Smith recaps the team's second victory of the season. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors have made it two wins in a row, after beating the Newcastle Knights 20-12 at a sold-out Mount Smart. Jackson Ford, Chanel Harris-Tavita and Marcelo Montoya all bagged tries for the hosts, with Shaun Johnson's penalty enough to secure the win. Team CEO Cameron George was stoked to help create an environment where fans could fill up one of New Zealand's biggest stadiums on a long weeken...

Less money in the wallets of EV owners, but more money in the budget for fixing our roads. Owners of EVs and plug-in hybrids are no longer exempt from road user charges. From today, EV owners will need to pay $76 per 1000 kilometres, while plug-in hybrids will need to pay $38. AA's Principal Policy Advisor for Motoring Affairs Terry Collins says the change has been a long time coming. "The current...

King Charles has shaken hands with members of the public, in his first significant public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer. He's attended the annual Easter Sunday service in Windsor with his wife Queen Camilla. Prince William, Princess Catherine and their children weren't in attendance, due to Catherine's ongoing cancer battle. Royal correspondent Russell Myers says it was a slimmed do...