Holiday Breakfast

Endurance swimmer Jono Ridler has completed a 1367km journey, swimming the length of the North Island, in an effort to raise awareness against bottom trawling.  After getting out of the water on Saturday, Ridler led a convoy of people to the steps of Parliament, where multiple ministers waited, and he was presented with a taonga. Ridler spoke to Andrew Dickens about the difficult journey, "a...

The Government's 2034 tourism target is to lift arrivals to 4.78 million, but a report for MBIE shows that this could require up to $3.5 billion in extra infrastructure. Regions like Queenstown are already facing pressure on their infrastructure with Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism CEO Mat Woods saying they are 'bursting at the seams'.  He told Andrew Dickens, "we're havin...

Actors Cliff Curtis and Jason Momoa, and director Taika Waititi, have purchased Auckland-based Studio West with the goal to bring more jobs and Polynesian storytelling to the country. "It's still a pretty tough time for the screen industry, but it is some positive news in the middle of all of that," Screen Production and Development Association President, Irene Gardiner said.  See omnystudio....

US President Donald Trump has issued threats to Iran in an R-rated speech as his ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz comes to an end.  He has said he will target Iran’s critical infrastructure if the strait is not reopened before Monday. Jeffrey Price, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, joined Andrew Dickens to chat about w...

Australia’s new hate speech laws have hit a speedbump.   Parliament was recalled early to pass reform that would create serious offences for hate in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.   However, the Opposition and the Greens are refusing to accept the laws in their current form.   Australia Correspondent Murray Olds told Andrew Dickens the Opposition is saying the timeline is ridi...

For many, Six60 is an undeniable part of the New Zealand summer soundscape.   Their classics such as ‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’, ‘The Greatest’, and ‘Please Don’t Go’ are a staple of every backyard barbeque summer get together, and soon a few new songs will be joining the playlists.   Their fifth studio album ‘Right Here Right Now’ is set to be released in February, but two new singles ar...

A tourism leader in Kaikoura says they're having their busiest summer season since a major earthquake almost a decade ago.   Visitor numbers reached about 220 thousand in November, up nearly 30 thousand on the year before.  Destination Kaikoura Chair Chris Sturgeon told Andrew Dickens tourism and hospitality players says things are booming.  He says there's a positive feeling throug...

President Donald Trump is threatening to deploy troops to Minnesota, with heated clashes on the streets over the presence of ICE.  US Homeland Security says a federal officer has shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel as he tried to make an arrest.  Protests have erupted in the city since an anti-immigration officer shot a woman dead last week.  US C...

Online hate speech in New Zealand is becoming more targeted and our system can't keep pace.  Netsafe's latest survey shows since 2018, the proportion of ethnicity-based hate speech has risen from 18% to 36%, becoming the most common reason people are targeted.  Political-based hate has also increased to 25%.  Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer Sean Lyons told Andrew Dickens regulat...

Calls for the Government to force streaming giants to invest in New Zealand content as local productions struggle.   The Screen Producers' Association says Netflix, Disney, Apple and Amazon should be forced to commission local programmes or pay into a fund from their local revenue   President Irene Gardiner says declining ad revenue means TVNZ and Three have cut local productions by $50...

Questions continue to swirl over Scott Robertson’s departure as All Blacks coach.  He's left halfway through his four-year deal after player frustration simmered and boiled over in a scathing internal review late last year.  NZ Rugby Chair David Kirk denies a player revolt forced Robertson out.  But former Chief Executive David Moffett told Andrew Dickens the organisation's a bit of...

Fonterra's boss says farmers are used to volatility in prices and payouts.  Its midpoint forecast farmgate milk price for this season now sits at $9 after a string of falls in global dairy prices.  That's more than 10% lower than last season's final payout.  Chief Executive Miles Hurrell told Andrew Dickens most farms are intergenerational, so farmers understand the ups and downs of...

Another tourism announcement is set to come – another round in the Regional Tourism Boost plan.   The goal is to get international travellers out of the main centres to explore all that New Zealand has to offer.  Round two will focus on the April to June season, when there’s typically fewer travellers and less activity.  Tourism Minister Louise Upston told Andrew Dickens it’s about...

If you haven’t heard the name Gianmarco Soresi, you may have seen his clips.  The American stand up comedian is a staple of shortform video platforms, with over two million follows across Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.  He’s become known for his crowd work and his distinctive physicality, clambering over chairs and folding himself up as he performs.  And he’s bringing it to New Ze...

An All Blacks bombshell to start the New Year.  The Herald has detailed elements of a 'scathing' internal review into the side's 2025 season, with critical feedback on the coaching, culture, and environment.  Head coach Scott Robertson and his lead assistant Scott Hansen are believed to be at the centre of the critical feedback.  All Blacks player of the year for the 2025 season Ard...

Don Brash says everyone should be concerned about political interference regarding matters at America's central bank.  US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says he's now embroiled in a criminal investigation because he didn't cut interest rates as much as Donald Trump wanted.  Trump denies involvement but is standing by calls for Powell to be replaced.  RBNZ Governor Anna Breman s...

The UK will be deciding this week whether or not to allow the construction of a Chinese ‘mega’ embassy in London.   The project has been debated for years, with concerns over the potential security risks it could pose for the UK.  Critics fear the embassy, which would be located close to London’s financial district and crucial data cables, would be used as a base for espionage.   UK...

At least 500 buildings have been destroyed as wildfires continue to tear through Victoria.   Multiple fires have ravaged 404,000 hectares of land – an area more than five times the size of Singapore.   Thousands of properties remain without power, and television and radio services to areas like Bendigo and Castlemaine have been knocked out.   Australian Correspondent Murray Olds tol...

Winston Peters says sticking to the basics has led to NZ First’s position in the polls.  Based on current polling, the party is set for another term in government, one of the first times it will have a consecutive run.   Peters told Andrew Dickens that there’s a whole lot of things going on in New Zealand that New Zealanders do not like, and they’ve sought a voice to express their concer...

The UK is introducing a law making it illegal to create non-consensual intimate images following growing concern over Elon Musk's AI chatbot.  Officials in countless countries are condemning the lack of regulation of sexualised content on the app X, formerly known as Twitter, including depictions of children.  ACT MP Laura McClure, author of the Deepfake Digital Harm and Exploitation Bil...

Donald Trump is risking further inflaming matters in Iran, urging anti-government demonstrators to keep protesting, adding "help is on its way".  The US President has raised the possibility of intervention in Iran, and his national security team meets today to discuss its options.  Thousands are feared dead, as the country's regime violently cracks down on anti-government protests. ...

Tougher penalties for energy companies caught breaking the rules.   From next year the Electricity Authority will be able to order fines of up to $10 million, or 10% of a company's turnover – up from the current $2 million.  The fines can be issued if companies distort the market or take advantage of customers.  Octopus Energy CEO Margaret Cooney told Andrew Dickens one of the issue...

'Deliberately absurd' is how a Christchurch mountain biker describes his idea to cycle around a McDonald's drive-thru for 24 hours.  21-year-old Matthew Fairbrother clocked up 500 kilometres on the ride on Christmas Day.  Fairbrother told Andrew Dickens it may be a world record of some sort, as he's not aware of anyone doing something similar.  He concedes the idea was a bit pointle...

A spotlight on student achievement, with NCEA results now available nationwide.  About 158 thousand Year 11 to 13 students can access their exam results, including Course Endorsements and University Entrance.  PPTA President Chris Abercrombie told Andrew Dickens literacy and numeracy co-requisites are now incredibly important.  He says students can't get NCEA without those, which ha...

Another Tory has joined the ranks of Reform UK.  Nadhim Zahawi is the highest profile member of the UK’s Conservative Party to defect, having served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for Liz Truss and as the Party Chair under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.   However, UK Correspondent Rod Liddle told Andrew Dickens, there is a caveat.   He says Zahawi was asked to resign from his positi...