Holiday Breakfast

A Ukrainian oligarch who managed to slip out of the country with all his money, has been arrested in a French ski resort. The 50 year old was detained in Courchevel, a famous Alpine ski destination, accused of money laundering and embezzlement to the tune of about 218 million NZD. Paris Correspondent Catherine Field says the Ukraine Government asked to take him into custody. She says he will go be...

A perfect storm of a pandemic, tough economic conditions and soaring grain prices from war-torn Ukraine is taking eggs off our menus. Supermarket shelves across the country are empty and some are limiting customers to two cartons each. A ban on battery-caged hens, announced in 2012, comes into effect on Saturday. Michael Brooks from the Egg Producers Federation told Tim Beveridge that flock number...

A potential game-changer for New Zealand water safety. NIWA and Surf Life Saving have developed a rip current identification tool using artificial intelligence, which has had a 90 percent accurate detection rate in trials. Rip currents are narrow, fast-moving segments of water that travel away from the shore and can reach speeds of 2.5 metres a second. They're reported as the most hazardous safety...

Consumers are starting to batten down the hatches as tough economic times are forecast. Data from payment company Worldline NZ shows consumer spending through its network, excluding hospitality, reached $100.5 million on Boxing Day. That's up 2.6 percent on the same day last year. Infometrics Chief Executive Brad Olsen says while the numbers are up, when compared to seven percent inflation, it's c...

Not every festival will have drug checking this New Year, but four organisations want that to change by keeping people informed. The Government is boosting its support around testing at festivals this summer season. The Government has committed $4 million over three years towards harm reduction, and officially licensing four organisations who can test to make sure people know what they're taking....

Telco company Vodafone has put its money where its mouth is by pulling sponsorship signage during a performance of a convicted abuser. Vodafone will remove its branding when headliner Dizzee Rascal takes the stage at Rhythm and Vines this weekend. The British rapper was convicted of domestically abusing his ex-partner earlier this year. Women's Refuge CEO Ang Jury says the company had no other cho...

Two teenagers have been charged with the murder of a 41-year-old Queensland woman at her home on Boxing Day. Emma Lovell was allegedly stabbed while fighting off two 17 year olds at her property in in Moreton Bay, north of Brisbane, on Monday night. Australian Correspondent Murray Olds says Lovell and her husband were in bed when their dogs started barking and they found two young men allegedly tr...

The blizzard in the US is one for the record books. At least 60 people have died in weather-related incidents across North America in recent days, and about 122,000 homes are still without power. Many of the fatalities have occurred in Buffalo in New York state, with some areas seeing more than a metre of snow. US Correspondent Richard Arnold says they will be dealing with this for quite a while....

In ZB's Summer with the Mayors series, the next region being highlighted is the eastern Bay of Plenty's Whakatāne. Whakatāne records the highest number of daylight hours in the country, making it the designated 'sunshine capital' of New Zealand.  The region also offers fishing, with more yellowfin tuna caught in Whakatāne than anywhere else in the country.  There are plenty of opportunities to exp...

Kiwi Formula 2 driver Liam Lawson has had an eventful 2022. Between his success with Formula 1 testing, moving to Japan to compete in their Super Formula series next year and placing third in the previous Formula 2 season, he's had a successful year in the sport and earned public praise across the board. Liam Lawson says it's been an exciting year, especially towards the second half where he claim...

The ACT party is proposing a Carbon Tax Refund. The refund would provide families of four a payment of $1558, to help Kiwis lower their day to day emissions. The aim is also to take money from the Emissions Trading Scheme and pump it back into the local economy. ACT party deputy leader, Brooke van Velden says it provides Kiwis with a choice while benefiting the climate. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystud...

Former Crusader and All Blacks player Richie Mo'unga has signed a three year deal with Japanese rugby club Toshiba, starting in 2024. Richie Mo'unga will finish out the 2023 season, but Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge says that he's been wanting to make the move to Japan for a while before the deal was officially confirmed. Colin Mansbridge also says that many former Crusaders, including Matt Todd,...

Kiwis have set up a Givealittle page to raise money for Janak Patel's family following his tragic death.  After Auckland dairy worker Janak Patel was fatally stabbed in Sandringham following a man who stole cash from Rose Cottage Superette in November, over $100,000 has been donated to the family.  Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Sunny Kaushal says that the family is grateful to everyone who...

The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance claims switching to a public transport National Ticketing Solution will cost Auckland ratepayers at least $237.2 million. Auckland Transport signed up to the system back in October, which will see the AT HOP Card replaced with a national card, as well as other added payment methods. Using figures obtained under the Official Information Act, the alliance estimates...

King Charles III delivered his first Christmas address from St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle yesterday. The speech paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II and her legacy as a ruler, as this was the first Christmas address not delivered by the former monarch since her first in 1957. King Charles also touched on the hardships being endured in the rest of the world, focusing on the war in Ukr...

The Paris gunman has admitted he wanted to kill "non-European foreigners". A 69-year-old retired train driver is accused of opening fire at a Kurdish cultural centre, killing three people and wounding another three. He told police his hatred of foreigners had "become totally pathological". Paris correspondent Catherine Field says they're finding out more and more about his racist motives. LISTEN A...

The next region being highlighted on ZB's Summer with the Mayors is the Western Bay of Plenty, which has plenty to offer this time of year. The Western Bay of Plenty is home to famous New Zealand beaches, such as Waihi beach, Omokoroa, Anzac Bay and Pukehina.  Tauranga's town centre has also been undergoing some growth in the last few years, so tourists don't have to pick between the beach and the...

ACT's David Seymour is getting ready for a turbulent 2023 election. The ACT party have added an extra 9 MPs to parliament between the 2020 election and now, and  support for ACT has gone up over the course of 2022, with polling figures putting their approval rating at 10-11 percent.  Party leader David Seymour knows that the political climate for 2023 is set to be turbulent, with dropping school a...

Today is set to be a big one for cricket, with Boxing Day test matches happening in Australia and Pakistan. Australia will be playing against South Africa and Pakistan will be playing against New Zealand. The match against Pakistan is set to be important for the Black Caps, as it's the first match of Tim Southee's captaincy. Cricket commentator Garth Galloway says the fact that none of these Boxin...

The 77th edition of the  Rolex Sydney-Hobart yacht race is set to get started December 26th, at 3pm NZT.  Predictions involve some sailing records being broken, and the forecast of strong northerly winds from the Sydney Harbour are expected to improve the conditions.  Kiwi sailor Phil Jamieson is on the crew for 100 ft super yacht Andoo Comanche today, and he says that this yacht is designed to wi...

The Taxpayers Union wants the Government to remove all additional leave entitlements for public servants. It comes as fresh data has revealed Kiwis are shelling out more than $75 million per year on additional days of paid leave for Government workers, excluding the four entitled weeks off and public holidays. The Union says the worst offenders are the Social Development Ministry and MBIE, who spe...

A big day ahead for retailers who prepare to face the boxing day sales chaos. Data from PriceSpy shows the 26th of December last year outperformed any other day in 2021. Retail NZ Chief Executive Greg Harford says it's been one of the biggest shopping days in New Zealand for a number of years. He says it's a good opportunity to buy some things you need, or pick up some more presents. LISTEN ABOVE...

Despite soaring mortgage rates and economic concerns taking hold in Australia, consumers are expected to spend money at the Boxing Day sales. According to the Australian Retailers Association, Australian shoppers are expected to spend the most on Boxing Day. Speculation predicts that Australians will spend over $3 billion dollars in these sale. This will equal $23 billion spent during this Christm...

Shock in a northwest England after a gunman opened fire in a bar on Christmas Eve. A 26 year old woman was shot in the head and died in hospital, another young man is in a critical condition and two other men are also injured. UK Correspondent Gavin Grey says investigators are looking at cellphone video and CCTV footage to figure out what happened. He says people are shocked as to why someone woul...

The next stop on ZB's Summer with the Mayors tour is Waitomo, and the attractions there need no introduction. Waitomo is well-known for its' black water rafting, abseiling, caving, and glow-worm boat tours. In addition to the obvious draws, Waitomo offers walking tours such as the Waitomo Walkway and the historic Opapaka Pa Walk. The Marokopa Falls, Kawhia Hot Springs and the shearing capital of t...