Holiday Breakfast

Some governments are being branded laggards, for failing to come up with an international system to verify people have had the Covid-19 tests and vaccinations they say they have. Pre-departure Covid-19 testing for travellers arriving in New Zealand from the United Kingdom could be in place by mid-January. Minister for Covid-19 Response Chris Hipkins yesterday revealed planning is currently underwa...

Doctors, nurses and the elderly rolled up their sleeves across the European Union to receive the first doses of the coronavirus vaccine Sunday in a symbolic show of unity and moment of hope for a continent confronting its worst health care crisis in a century. Weeks after the U.S., Canada and Britain began inoculations with the same vaccine, the 27-nation bloc staged a coordinated rollout aimed at...

A specialised police unit is using artificial intelligence technology to scour New Zealanders' Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and other social media channels as part of its bolstered intelligence capabilities after the March 15 terrorist attack. An independent review into "Operation Deans" – the police response to the Christchurch mosque shootings which killed 51 people on March 15, 2019 – made a raf...

Kiwis have opened their wallets for retailers this year, big time. Which brings us to our next interview, with the founder of Laybuy, the country's largest buy-now-pay later service. Business has been booming for these guys, too. Laybuy founder Gary Rohloff joins Tim Dower. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's almost a year since the Duke and Duchess of Sussex turned the British Royal Family on its head, announcing to the world their intention to take a step away from royal life and become financially independent. The Royal Family is due to review the couple's situation in march next year. Suffice to say, with Covid dominating life, the Duke and Duchess have had a different first year away than the...

Summer festival attendees are being warned of an "incredibly dangerous" substitute increasingly turning up in MDMA being tested. Know Your Stuff has reported in its drug checking clinics over the past few months increasing incidents of what people thought would be pure MDMA either turning out to be just cathinones or only just enough MDMA to "spoof" the tests. Synthetic cathinones, also known coll...

The mighty Waikato we go in our next Hidden Spot for this summer. And we're visiting Over the Moon Cheese - they have a Putaruru factory and a deli in Cambridge. So what have they got to offer on your road trip? Owner and Manger Sue Arthur joins Tim Dower to explain why you should pay a visit next time you're in the area! LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Work is underway to ensure police recruits don't get caught up in organised crime. Police have established a National Integrity Unit to investigate links between cops and organised crime groups. This comes as it's revealed a police recruit was filmed taking drugs with Australian motorcycle gang the Comancheros. The recruit was dismissed from Police College, just weeks before graduation. Herald inv...

New South Wales has recorded seven new cases of coronavirus, all linked to Sydney's Northern Beaches cluster. NSW chief health officer Kerry Chant said that the Northern Beaches cluster has now risen to 122 cases and called for continued testing over the festive period. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that in light of the new cases she will not yet be addressing restrictions around New Year's...

US police officers have given harrowing details of the Christmas morning explosion in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, at times getting choked up reliving the moments that led up to the blast and offering gratitude that they were still alive. "This is going to tie us together forever, for the rest of my life," Officer James Wells, who suffered some hearing loss due to the explosion, told a news conf...

Fruit growers in Motueka are counting the cost of Boxing Day's massive hailstorm. Heywood Orchards grows golden kiwifruit and apples. Evan Heywood told Tim Dower the storm was the worst he's seen - and it shredded the leaves and significantly knocked around the fruit. "You can't just walk away from the damaged fruit either, you've still got to get it off the vines and trees. "The workload still ha...

Parenting Expert and host of Real Life on Newstalk ZB John Cowan joins Tim Beveridge to share his parenting advice. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clinical Director of Animal Hospital for Vetora BOP and Television Presenter Stacey Tremain joins Tim Bevegeridge to answer your pet questions. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi pole vaulter Eliza McCartney's finally at a point where she feels ready to compete. The Olympic bronze medalist has battled ongoing niggles with an Achilles tendon this year which flared up at the end of 2019, limiting her ability to train ahead of next year's Tokyo Games. But McCartney says the last few months have been particularly good. "Things are kind of clicking, I'm feeling comfortable...

Technology has really been in the spotlight this year, with the Covid-19 pandemic seeing a rush of new apps to deal with outbreaks, while many people and companies have had to rely on technology to keep working. Tech expert Paul Stenhouse joined Francesca Rudkin to recap the year in technology, what to look out for before buying tech deals at the Boxing Day sales, and to take calls from listeners...

The sun's shining outside, and plenty of us are getting into the gardens during our summer breaks. Gardening expert Ruud Kleinpaste joined Francesca Rudkin to share his tips for the weeks ahead, and took questions from callers seeking a bit of help with their gardens.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christmas Day has been and gone - and for many people, they are now regretting that extra slice of ham and that chocolate binge! Kent Johns, former Radio Sport host turned health coach, joined Francesca Rudkin to share health advice and discuss his health journey, and took calls from listeners about their own health questions.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nadia Lim's 2020 has been yet another successful one. Her food delivery service My Food Bag enjoyed another boom year. And she became a comfort for us while in lockdown with her cooking show, Nadia's Comfort Kitchen. Plus to round off the year - she released her first children's book Marvellous Marvin. She joined Tim Dower to reflect on a busy 2020, the reaction to her lockdown cooking, raising ch...

NewstalkZB is back with another edition of Hidden Spots on Summer Breakfast. This is where we take you on a bit of a virtual road trip around the country - and give you tips on attractions you may not know about. The next on the road trip is Thames in the beautiful Coromandel, where the Goldmine Experience is based. Manager Paul Benesemann joined Tim Dower to discuss what you can discover there. L...

While many of us are gathering together for Christmas, many Kiwis will be spending the season apart from their families. That includes countless members of the military and defence force, who are stationed overseas. Defence Force Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Wright is part of the Kiwi contingent at the Multinational Force Observers at the Sinai Peninsula. He joined Tim Dower to discuss his role and ho...

More than a year after seeing his dad, a seven-year-old is about to get a Christmas miracle today. Trapped in France as Covid arrived, Dmitry Pelevin promised his son in New Zealand he would be home for Christmas. He told Tim Dower after a solo sailing voyage of more than 7,000 nautical miles the two will be reunited in Auckland this afternoon. "I started to sail in June, and so I spent two and a...

Housing outside of Auckland is what shows there's an issue with the market. Amidst already high prices, the Real Estate Institute's annual review of the housing market shows Kiwis spent $12 billion more on domestic property this year than last. OneRoof property commentator Ashley Church told Tim Dower there's a trend where Auckland's market stays flat for three years - which it somewhat did up to...

New Zealanders are turning their unspent travel funds into Christmas shopping cash. The rush of spending activity is expected to peak today -- after a stellar week of sales. Chief Executive of Retail NZ Greg Harford says spending is up three to five percent, on average. He says New Zealanders aren't travelling overseas and with housing prices up and borrowing rates low, customers have extra cash t...

Gridlock at an English port kept thousands of truckers and travelers stranded Wednesday despite a deal with France to lift a two-day blockade imposed because of a new variant of the coronavirus that had isolated Britain and raised fears of food shortages. While some goods and passengers began arriving on French shores in the morning, many still struggled to get through. With officials warning that...

New Zealand star Nick Ferretti has soared to fame overnight. In Germany, he's just taken out their version of their "Got Talent", das Supertalent, in front of almost 3 million viewers. Nick joined Tim Dower following his win. Hear more of his music here LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.