Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A 19-year-old Waitaki candidate has spoken out about the abuse he faced on the campaign trail. Ethan Reille says he went through a 'daunting' experience in his first campaign- he was subject to verbal and digital abuse and threats, and was spat at a rural A&P event. He says young candidates shouldn't have to experience that kind of abuse in politics. "We've seen it progressively get worse as m...

A healthy lunch seems to be hard to find at school canteens. Researchers reviewed food in more than 120 primary school tuck shops- assigning green, amber, or red ratings based on how healthy it was. Only 19 percent scored green. Massey University's Carol Wham says she's not surprised to see most items don't meet Ministry of Health guidelines. "They really want at least 75 percent percent of food o...

A spokesperson for New Zealand's Jewish community says antisemitism is rising. The fence of an Auckland Jewish community centre was graffitied overnight, with the words 'Free Gaza, save the kids' and 'Ceasefire'. It was then set on fire. Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses says it's hard to quantify, but threats are increasing. "There's a lot of online abuse, there's in-person death threats,...

An electoral law expert says a vote counting error could have been easily avoided. The Electoral Commission is conducting a full check, after results from three polling booths were recorded incorrectly. The data entry slip-up saw the Leighton Baker Party and the New Conservatives score votes meant for National. Barrister Graeme Edgeler says it should have triggered alerts when National got no vote...

A Wellington chef says it hurts to see high profile local restaurants closing. In the past fortnight, Field and Green and Shepherd have announced they'll be shutting at the end of the year. Logan Brown chef Shaun Clousten says hospitality is the heart and soul of the city. He says times are tough and he doesn't think the problem is too many restaurants. "We know there's a lot of restaurants, and I...

I'm not about to tell Chlöe Swarbrick that she shouldn't have used that phrase. Right-minded people don't make a habit of policing what people say, I don't think it crosses the line at all or incites people into violence, so it's not going to break the law and she can technically say it if she want to. But she might want to really consider whether she wants to be saying that phrase. Chlöe, as a Ne...

Harry and Meghan were the subject of another royal family controversy, over claims they snubbed King Charles. The monarch is celebrating his 75th birthday next week, and reports claimed Harry - and possibly Meghan - rejected his invitation. The pair have since responded, claiming they had never received an invitation to the event. UK correspondent Enda Brady says it's unlikely Harry would have for...

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  Chris Hipkins will remain leader of the Labour party after securing a vote of confidence from his caucus. Hipkins intends to run again in 2026- and capital gains and wealth taxes are back on the table again. Could these po...

Former Prime Minister John Key is taking Zespri's kiwifruit fight straight to top Chinese politicians. Zespri filed a civil case in China's Intellectual Property Court in August, against parties it claims are growing unlicensed golden kiwifruit. Key has since spoken with China's foreign affairs minister Wang Yi on a business trip to Beijing to ensure Kiwi farmers have confidence their intellectual...

Time is running out for National's proposed pre-Christmas mini-budget. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon and his new Finance Minister Nicola Willis promised to create a scaled-down budget by the end of 2023 back in September. ANZ's latest economic outlook has cast doubt on whether the incoming Government can deliver on this promise. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie explains the roadblo...

Foodstuffs is set to apply to the Commerce Commission to merge its North Island and South Island co-operatives into one national business. The company is half of New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly - and expected to spark big debate on competition issues. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin says this merger is part of a strategy focused on creating better value to customers. "Like any business, w...

New research on concussions has shed light on how rugby head collisions affect community players. The collaborative study includes research by Otago University and data from local and international rugby governing bodies. It used smart mouthguard technology - obligatory in training and elite matches from next year. Research scientist Janelle Romanchuk says it measured 17,000 incidents across 300 p...

Chlöe Swarbrick says it's abhorrent to suggest she supports the destruction of Israel. The Green MP is under fire for chanting 'from the river to the sea' at a pro-Palestine rally on the weekend. The phrase has been used since the 1960s to advocate for freeing Palestine from Israel's occupation. The Jewish Council says it's anti-Semitic. Swarbrick says she decries anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and v...

A former Labour Minister says the Party's Caucus has made the right move in re-selecting Chris Hipkins as its leader this morning. Hipkins says he plans to stay on as leader until the next election. Former Cabinet Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says Hipkins is the right choice, for now. "Labour needs to spend the time taking stock of the election results- and how they got there." Lees-Galloway says H...

Chris Hipkins has survived as Labour leader, after securing the confidence of his Caucus in a vote this morning. Carmel Sepuloni was unanimously voted in as Labour Deputy - taking the place of Kelvin Davis, who stepped down. Hipkins also confirmed he plans to run for Prime Minister in 2026, and all previously canned policies are back on the table including capital gains and wealth taxes. ZB politi...

Australia's Reserve Bank is taking a crack at inflation - lifting the country's cash rate for the first time since June. It's up 25 basis points to 4.35 percent. Correspondent Murray Olds says inflation was cooling at 5.4 percent- but spiked in the September quarter. "That's because rents are rising very quickly on the back of high immigration numbers, we've got petrol spiking because of internati...

All Blacks captain Sam Cane has been suspended for two matches following his high tackle at the Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks captain was the first to be red-carded in World Cup final history, after his shoulder-led tackle connected with   Jesse Kriel's head. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what the brief ban entails here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

The race that stops two nations kicks off in about half in hour. About 80,000 punters will be track side at Flemington for the Melbourne Cup, with 23 horses ready to hit the ground running. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio says the party's already started. "Post-pandemic, it really feels like the Melbourne Cup has got its buzz back." Newstalk ZB will cross live to the race when it begins. LIS...

All eyes are on the UK, as King Charles III is set to deliver the first inaugural King’s Speech in 70 years. The ruler is expected to cover the UK's legislative agenda for the next few months, in the lead-up to the general election. UK correspondent Gail Downey says the speech will address key political issues impacting the region. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, former National press secretary Ben Thomas and former Labour chief of staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Concerned Christchurch residents have been tracking a woman with a history of poisoning neighbourhood cats and making them sick- do authorities need to intervene? Once the final vote was known, Winston Peters called...

The next phase of establishing a new Government is set to begin, as all the final ballots have been counted. National is in talks with ACT and New Zealand First, after special votes revealed all three are needed to form a Government. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says all three parties will need to have negotiations in person so Luxon can work around Seymour and Winston's complicated h...

Anthony Albanese has become the first Australian Prime Minister to visit China in seven years- touching down in Shanghai yesterday. He's trying to improve relations with the country's biggest trade partner. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Albanese is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to repair the damage left by Scott Morrison. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/l...

Black Cap run machine Rachin Ravindra may be the breakout star of the Cricket World Cup but he's keeping his feet firmly on the ground. The 23-year-old is third on the tournament run-scoring list, totalling 523 runs at the stunning average of 74.71. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains Ravindra's success and popularity further. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac's CEO has identified a range of reasons for its fall in profits. The bank had a $963 million net profit for the year to September, down seven percent from 2022. Catherine McGrath says Westpac has been investing heavily in key parts of the business to improve the customer experience. "We've been investing in the foundation of the bank, so we've been introducing new tools. For example, we're...

The Finance Minister-in-waiting is letting nothing slip on coalition negotiations. National is in talks with ACT and New Zealand First, after special votes revealed all three are needed to form a Government. A former New Zealand First MP, Andrew Williams, told Mike Hosking this morning leader Winston Peters would want to be Treasurer. But Nicola Willis wouldn't be drawn on it. "One of the things t...