Holiday Breakfast

We're in Auckland for our Hidden Spot this morning. And we head to the rolling country in the east of the city, where you will find Ayrlies Garden. Head Gardener Ben Conway joins Tim Dower to talk about the attraction, and why it’s worth paying a visit. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a solid year of touring for Christchurch band The Butlers, all things considered. Covid halted a tour in the U.S, but they've made the most of being back home by supporting the local music scene back here. They opened for L.A.B, and they'll be playing at Rhythm and Vines this year. The Butlers joined Tim Dower to talk about their music, along with a live performance! LISTEN ABOVE See omn...

Community Law is calling on Government agencies to ensure emergency housing meets basic standards. It says Government agencies need to ensure emergency housing providers meet basic standards, with some places reportedly unsafe or people evicted without good reason. Chief executive Sue Moroney told Tim Dower the Social Development Ministry's advised the average stay has risen to 14 weeks. She think...

The White House is considering requiring travellers from the United Kingdom to present proof of a negative coronavirus test before arriving in the United States, two administration officials tell CNN. The discussions come amid the discovery of a new variant of coronavirus discovered in the UK and as a slew of countries have suspended travel. US public health officials, including Dr. Anthony Fauci,...

Some clarity is expected today about how Christmas will look in New South Wales. The state's tackling a new Covid-19 cluster, prompting other Australian states to shut their borders to anyone travelling from the Northern Beaches or Greater Sydney. Australia correspondent Murray Olds told Tim Dower Premier Gladys Berejiklian held an emergency Cabinet meeting yesterday. He says we'll learn more late...

Jesse Kempson seemed "relatively plausible" when police met initially met him, but it didn't take long before they started uncovering his lies. The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Inspector Scott Beard, also told Newstalk ZB this morning that no matter the reasons for his offending against women and the murder of Grace Millane, Kempson was responsible for his own actions. It was...

Newstalk ZB 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. Our spot this morning is worth making time for. The Claphams Clock Museum is believed to be the biggest collection of clocks anywhere in the southern hemisphere. Museum assistant Denise ...

Washington D.C correspondent Nick Bryant joins Tim Dower to look back on a chaotic year in US politics, along with America's response to the devastating Covid-19 pandemic. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A retail consultancy boss says businesses will need to decide for themselves if it's right to repay the Covid wage subsidy. The Warehouse Group's announced it's repaying the $68 million it received, after sales performances have been well above expectation. First quarter sales for the group increased by 6.3 per cent and now stand up 6.6 per cent year-to-date compared to the same period last year....

Increased geothermal activity on Mt Ruapehu is continuing. GeoNet raised the volcano's alert level to two yesterday. It reported a rise in the crater lake's temperature, tremors and one of the highest measured increases in volcanic gas. GNS duty seismologist Mike Rosenberg told Tim Dower not much has changed overnight, with small pulses of volcanic tremor ongoing. "The activity sees the crater lak...

More and more countries around the world are restricting travel from Britain and elsewhere amid concerns about new strains of the coronavirus, as their governments analyse test results and try to find ways to protect their populations and hospital systems. The restrictions focus mainly on Britain, which imposed strict new lockdown measures Saturday night because of what it described as the unusual...

The compulsory study of Aotearoa New Zealand history is set to generate strong emotions for some students, a new study warns. Taita College head of social sciences Dr Michael Harcourt asked 1889 students at 20 high schools around the country for their main feeling after reading a passage about the effects of the land wars on Waikato Māori. The largest number (39 per cent) chose sadness, followed b...

The latest addition to a Christchurch park has left people scratching their heads. The global "mystery monolith" trend has reached New Zealand, with one of the geometric sculptures spotted at the Christchurch Adventure Park in the Port Hills. The adventure park has asked the public for help determining what the structure was and where it came from. A spate of tongue-in-cheek theories from Facebook...

Luna Rossa team director Max Sirena has suggested the America's Cup crews need to start working on sailing off their foils in preparation for what's to come. On Sunday, Team New Zealand and Ineos Team UK struggled through the first race of the Christmas Cup, ending up in a displacement race, with the hull of their vessels cutting through the water rather than sailing over the top of it, as the win...

Like so many, 2020 was a hell of year for the New Zealand Warriors. The NRL was one of the first sports competitions in the world to get re-started in this Covid world. But the Warriors were forced to relocate to Australia for the season, remarkably almost made the playoffs, and won over many fans. The hope for 2021 is that the club can, at least, have some home games. CEO Cameron George joined Ti...

A growing list of European Union nations moved to ban flights from the U.K. on Sunday and others were considering similar action, in a bid to block a new strain of coronavirus sweeping across southern England from spreading to the continent. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Ireland and Bulgaria all announced restrictions on U.K. travel, hours after British Prime Minister...

California hospitals are battling to find beds to house patients amid fears the explosion of coronavirus cases will exhaust staffing resources. As of Saturday, nearly 17,400 people were hospitalized with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infections — more than double the previous peak reached in July — and a state model that uses current data to forecast future trends shows the number could reach 75...

The Safety Warehouse didn't follow the law in its latest scheme. The company's been fined $30,000 for sending thousands of unsolicited texts to potential customers, in an attempt to sell them face masks. It follows its cash drop flop, where an Auckland crowd grew angry after receiving store vouchers instead of cash.  Lisa Wilkin-Krug from the Department of Internal Affairs told Tim Dower the compa...

Australian states are incredibly nervous about the latest Covid-19 outbreak in New South Wales. Sydney's northern beaches cluster has grown to 83 cases. All states and territories are putting up restrictions against travellers from the greater Sydney area, with dozens of flights cancelled.   Melbourne epidemiologist Tony Blakely told Tim Dower there are concerns there are cases outside of the city...

As Covid-19 cases rapidly rise in the UK, Boris Johnson's defending the country's approach. About 40 countries, including Spain, Hong Kong, India, Canada and Germany, have now suspended flights from the UK as a fast-spreading new strain is looked into. France has completely closed its border, with no freight lorries or ferry passengers able to sail for 48 hours. Despite this, the British Prime Min...

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. It kicks off in the far north's Kaitaia, where you'll find the Gumdiggers Park. It's an authentic Kauri gum digging site. Manager of the park John Johnson joined Tim Dower to discuss  LIS...

Contact tracers are following dozens of lines of inquiry and officials are poring over CCTV footage as the NSW government scrambles to find the source of the growing cluster in Sydney's Northern Beaches. Such is the mystery surrounding the outbreak that the state's chief health officer has speculated that finding 'Patient Zero' could be a "challenge beyond us". Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced...