Holiday Breakfast

People will still be checked as they head to Northland, despite the region's two fixed checkpoints being taken down this morning.   The checkpoints, which were set up near Waipu and Maungaturoto, are being replaced with spot checkpoints and roving patrols.  Far North Mayor John Carter told Tim Dower they still want to check people to ensure they're safe.  “And that’s why we’re just asking them to...

Wine in a box was enough to send some people into a fit. And then there were screw tops and now wine in cans to really tap into the millennial market. Joiy Wines was the first New Zealand winemaker to export wine in a can, shifting about 700,000 tins around the world per year. But that could soon be 7 million with their expansion plan in mind. Joiy Wines winemaker co-founder Chris Archer told Tim...

It’s been a little while since Hollie Smith’s last solo album. Her fourth album Coming In From The Dark was released last Friday on 22nd October. A lot of the album was written in last year’s lockdown, with the album's title track inspired by it. Hollie Smith joined Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Family, peers and community members of Halyna Hutchins mourned the cinematographer's untimely death after the 42-year-old was killed on the film set of "Rust" from a firearm mishap. Her husband Matthew Hutchins tweeted Friday that the loss was "enormous." "Halyna inspired us all with her passion and vision, and her legacy is too meaningful to encapsulate in words," he tweeted. "Our loss is enormou...

A top recruiter says it could be a good time to look for greener pastures if you’re an employee. Recruitment firm PERSOLKELLY says working remotely, focus on health and wellbeing and money are the top three most important things for job seekers. General Manager Wendy Hewson told Tim Dower their report gave a really clear message on how nearly three out of five employees have changed work prioritie...

The Government's new Traffic Light System appears to be watertight from a legal point of view. Under the new system announced on Friday, people who are unvaccinated could miss out on going to restaurants, festivals and gyms. It will kick in once DHBs meet vaccination targets. Auckland University Law Professor Bill Hodge told Tim Dower the orders are justifiable interferences with the Bill of Right...

Victorians are close to reaching two major vaccination milestones and will see a raft of restrictions ease as soon as next weekend, it was announced on Sunday. Premier Daniel Andrews announced two sets of rules - one was for when the state hit 90 per cent double-dose vaccination on November 24. The other set of rules would be triggered on Friday at 6pm, when the state was expected to have fully va...

A Maori health expert has serious concerns about the Government's new Traffic Light System. Hauora Coalition Clinical Director Rawiri Jansen told Tim Dower a separate vaccination rate for Maori is needed, and the 90 per cent vaccination rate is too low. "If you get 90 per cent vaccinated, that's about 140,000 Aucklanders not vaccinated." The system will be rolled out once DHBs reached 90 per cent...

There's doubt what happened on an Alec Baldwin movie set would happen in New Zealand. His 42-year-old photography director, Halyna Hutchins, is dead after the actor fired a gun he was told contained blanks while filming Rust. New Zealand Stunt Guild professional, Andrew Cottle, told Tim Dower real firearms are often used in this country but there's never any live ammunition on set. But he says a b...

Health and safety will be paramount when Auckland and Waikato schools reopen to select students tomorrow morning. Schools in Level Three areas will reopen tomorrow for Years 11, 12 and 13. Ventilation, mask-wearing and social distancing will be used to keep students safe. Grant McMillan, the Principal of Manurewa's James Cook High School told Tim Dower he won't be taking any risks. “If at any time...

The birth of Meghan and Harry's second child has been met with congratulations. The pair named the girl Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, Lili for short. The name has nods to Queen Elizabeth and the late Princess Diana. CNN's Royal correspondent Victoria Arbiter told Tim Beveridge the couple managed to keep the birth under wraps for a while. "When we think about the fact that this news didn't bre...

A group of forty world-class athletes putting their names to a letter to the Prime Minister and the Minister for Sport over what to do with transgender athletes in sport.  They want wider consultation on a draft policy Sport NZ has sent out to rainbow groups, proposing ways to allow trans women athletes to compete against biological females at club and community level. Olympic gold medallists Dany...

The world's largest treasure trove of British cars is up for sale in Hawke's Bay in the hope the museum they belonged to can once again be opened to the public. It features hundreds of cars - from Morris Minors, to Austins, Vauxhalls and Triumphs - literally stacked on top of one another They were brought together by the late car aficionado Ian Hope. His nephew Mark Hope told Tim Dower that the ca...

New Zealanders are being urged to be prepared for the grim reaper -- no matter what stage of life they're at. A new survey by Public Trust has found less than half of us have a will. And about a third of us fear we won't have enough to pass on to our children. Public Trust Chief Executive Glenys Talivai told Tim Dower people aren't just worried about financial inheritance, but also other things li...

The Victorian government is facing increasing pressure this morning to lift Melbourne’s lockdown amid a string of low case numbers in the state and as the city enters day 11 of its fourth lockdown. All eyes will be on Monday’s numbers after officials in the state refused to budge on Sunday despite pressure from fed-up Victorians and business groups to end the lockdown early. Victoria recorded four...

Harry and Meghan's announcement of the arrival of their daughter Lilibet surprised royal watchers and sent the world's media scrambling to react. Much of the focus has been on the name: Lilibet "Lili" Diana Mountbatten-Windsor. The name is the Queen's family nickname and hit the headlines again recently in the wake of Prince Philip's death, when it was revealed that he referred to her by the nickn...

New Zealand music industry icon and Te Reo champion Hinewehi Mohi has been recognised for her dedication to her music and culture. The Waipukurau-born singer and producer has been made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (DNZM) for her services to Māori, music and television in the Queen's Birthday Honours List. Mohi said the recognition is a wonderful tribute to all those who've su...

A businessman is among the country's newest dames and knights in today's New Zealand Queen's Birthday Honours. Michael Daniell has been knighted for more than 40 years of service to Fisher and Paykel Healthcare. He told Tim Dower he's not the only one who should be congratulated. "I really like to think of it in this way; it's a recognition of the efforts and achievements of the people I've worked...

Most people associate Wayne "Buck" Shelford's story with his many great feats for the All Blacks. There's the infamous scrotum injury he played on with in France, his influence injecting mana into the haka, his record-setting three-year unbeaten run as national captain and subsequent sudden axing from the team. But while those achievements evoke pride, Shelford speaks more passionately for other c...

The Group of Seven wealthy democracies have agreed to support a global minimum corporate tax of at least 15% to deter multinational companies from avoiding taxes by stashing profits in low-rate countries. G-7 finance ministers meeting in London also endorsed proposals to make the world's biggest companies - including U.S.-based tech giants - pay taxes in countries where they have lots of sales but...

A decision on whether nurses will go on strike nationwide on Wednesday will be made this afternoon. Nurses had already confirmed they would stop work in mid-May, which the New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) union said would have given staff a 1.38 percent wage increase. That led to a last-minute revised pay offer from district health boards (DHBs). The new deal is being voted on by the 30,000...

In 1996, one Kiwi band achieved an extraordinary feat that few local acts have been able to achieve since.  OMC quickly became household names after their hit How Bizarre hit Number One in New Zealand - as well as in Australia and the United States.  The song has had a lasting impact, even breaking out as a viral TikTok trend last year.  To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the song's success, the...

There could be one early learning centre a week shutting its doors this year due to a perfect storm of economic factors. Ministry of Education data shows centre closures have been rising steadily from 17 in 2016 to 40 in 2020 - with no signs of slowing down. The Early Childhood Council chief executive Peter Reynolds says he fields a call a week from a provider that's in trouble. He told Tim Dower...

"All offers seriously considered," says the estate agent selling the stunning Far North island and luxury home once listed with a $22 million price tag. It's a move that opens up a range of possibilities for Motukawaiti, the only privately owned island among the Cavalli group. Among those - as suggested by the owner, Jun Zhang - is a possible return to the people of Ngāti Kura, who had the island...

The pandemic has prompted a shift in our perceptions about wealth. A study by the ANZ Bank has found more than 60 percent of people believe Covid-19 has pushed family to the top of the list of what's important - rather than money. Psychologist Sara Chatwin told Tim Dower Covid-19 made us re-evaluate our priorities. "I think that Covid gave a lot of people the opportunity, if you are looking for a...