Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A promising challenger to the supermarket duopoly has dropped out of the race. Online grocer Supie has entered voluntary administration- owing an estimated $3 million. Analyst Nick Hogendijk says the start-up battled from day one. "The big pressure point will be the significant amount of investment in resources she was going to need to have from day one- it was always going to be difficult against...

Australia's free trade deal with the EU has collapsed. Australian correspondent Oliver Petersen says negotiations had been going on for five years, but the final deal wasn't good enough for either side. He says it's to do with access - or lack thereof - that Australian beef producers can get to the EU. "They didn't even get to the table to say- let's sign this off. What's going to happen here- we'...

Winston Peters has accused the media of having warped priorities. Speaking to The Platform this morning, he took aim at the coverage New Zealand First received on the campaign trail. He says it seemed sausage rolls were more important than public meetings, and standing on the side of the road waving banners was a substitute for policies. ZB political editor Jason Walls says Winston Peters is conce...

A hotly-anticipated final ended in disappointment for New Zealand, after the Springboks won the World Cup. The Springboks went scoreless in the second half but managed to hold out a 14-man New Zealand 12-11. Sportstalk host Jason Pine weighs in on the nation's reaction- as some fans are taking the loss out on referee Wayne Barnes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lucrative pay and enticing housing packages are luring a number of Kiwi police officers across the ditch. Australian police figures show 77 officers are leaving to work in Queensland, and close to 20 are heading off to the Northern Territory. Constables starting out in the region start out on $100,000 a year, and experienced officers could expect a $118,000 base salary- with $20,000 on offer to co...

Sixty years after the onset of Beatlemania and with two of the quartet now dead, artificial intelligence has enabled the release next week of what is promised to be the last “new” Beatles song. The track, called “Now And Then,” will be available Thursday, Nov. 2, as part of a single paired with “Love Me Do,” the very first Beatles single that came out in 1962 in England, it was announced Thursday....

Former Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, once seen as a reform-minded contender to the country’s top leadership role, died of a sudden heart attack early Friday in Shanghai, state media reported. He was 68 years old. Li, who was nominally China’s No. 2 leader until late last year, served as the country’s premier – traditionally in charge of the economy – for a decade from 2013 to March this year under s...

All eyes were on Fletcher Building and how shareholders would react at their AGM. Among the issues it’s dealt with recently include the Iplex pipes, directors’ fees and the poor annual results. Business commentator Rod Oram joined Jack Tame. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington City Council officials knew about the Town Hall budget blowout six months before councillors did. This week, the council voted to increase funding to earthquake strengthen the Hall, which could reach up to $329 million. But the council’s project team realised the costs were fast increasing at the start of the year, told the Council chief executive in June and told Tory Whanau in Septemb...

The All Blacks are just one win away from sporting immortality. After being largely written off after the opening defeat to France, all that stands in the way of them and the Webb Ellis Cup is the Springboks with their bomb squad bench. Both teams are on three titles, and are vying to stand above the other with a fourth win. But the game could be overshadowed by World Rugby’s new tournament. World...

Former All Blacks coach John Hart thinks the Springboks have made a massive gamble with their 7-1 stacking of forwards on the bench. It was a tactic that worked during when they beat the All Blacks 35-7 at Twickenham before the Rugby World Cup. Meanwhile, the All Blacks have made one change from the team that beat Argentina 44-6 in last week’s semifinal. All Blacks legend Sir Michael Jones joined...

Sport Canterbury has described Christchurch's new sport centre price blow-out as gob smacking. Contractor CPB has increased its claim by more than $200 million to $439 million, sparking a legal dispute with government delivery agency Rau Paenga — formerly Otakaro Limited. Sport Canterbury chief executive Julyan Falloon told Jack Tame the prospect of further delays is heartbreaking. “But to questio...

Pharmac’s board is backing the CEO and bringing in external contractors to help implement a plan to fix the organisation’s internal culture. I get it, people make mistakes, we all understand that, but in my eyes, Pharma’s leadership has made a couple of massive errors in recent months. The first — if you cast your minds back was the rollout of the Trikafta funding announcement. I personally just t...

The Council of Licensed Firearms Owners is hoping ACT can score them a win in coalition negotiations. Party leader David Seymour says he wants to get rid of the Firearms Registry, but will have to convince their coalition partner National. Hugh Devereux-Mack told Jack Tame registering their firearms is burdensome and makes them a target. He claims the register potentially puts them at risk by sayi...

The All Blacks have named a largely unchanged team for the Rugby World Cup final on Sunday. Brodie Retallick has been named to the starting XV in place of Sam Whitelock — the only change from the 44-6 win over Argentina. Meanwhile, the Springboks have named two changes from their 16-15 win over England, and a 7-1 forward split on the bench. Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick joined Jack Ta...

Christopher Luxon may just be getting closer to a deal with Winston Peters. The Prime Minister-elect and wife Amanda have been over to Peters’ house for dinner, but it’s unclear what the two discussed — particularly as the special vote count looms. However, Peters’ social media posts about the Christchurch mosque attack inquiry just before the two met at his home could be throw a spanner in the wo...

More than 24 hours on from the mass shooting in Maine, and the man allegedly responsible remains on the run. The shootings at a bowling alley and bar in Lewiston left 18 people dead and 13 injured. The FBI searched Robert Card's last known address earlier today, but didn't find him. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Jack Tame they were looking for any evidence they could find — including weapon...

The Springboks have taken a hefty gamble ahead of the Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks. They've named a 7-1 split on the bench with more forwards - which they did when they beat the All Blacks 35-7 at Twickenham before the World Cup. But prior to that, the Black Caps have a huge clash of their own in the Cricket World Cup. They'll be looking to get back on track after their first defea...

Pharmac's board has agreed to an action plan to improve the organisation's culture after inappropriate emails were sent about journalist Rachel Smalley. Chief Executive Sarah Fitt has also publicly apologised — saying she deeply regrets her actions. Patient Voice Aotearoa had called for the resignation ahead of the Board and Fitt ahead of today's meeting. Chair Malcolm Mulholland told Jack Tame he...

Rishi Sunak is facing the prospect of a by-election after Tory MP Peter Bone was stood down for inappropriate behaviour. An investigation revealed Bone had bullied and sexually harassed a former parliamentary staff member. Bone has since been suspended for 6 weeks. UK correspondent Enda Brady says it's increasingly likely that Labour will need to force a by-election following this verdict. LISTEN...

Tonight on The Huddle, BRG director Georgina Stylianou and Business Mentors CEO Sarah Trotman joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Winston Peters is in hot water following his inaccurate tweets claiming Kiwis only just found out about the terrorist's pre-attack email to the Beehive. What is his goal here? Mt Maunganui businesses and residents have voiced outra...

Kiwi scientists have developed ground-breaking new technology that will allow farmers to measure methane emissions from cattle. Crown institute AgResearch has developed a portable chamber to test individual cows- helping farmers to selectively breed cattle and reduce emissions over time. The Country's Jamie Mackay says this technology is the latest scientific development that will cull emissions a...

Innovation is a key driver of global economic growth- and it's moving faster than ever. Science, research, and technology have driven economic growth over the years, ever since the industrial revolution. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds says society has gotten better at adapting to new developments, comparing the fast adoption of AI and weight-loss drugs to the slower reception of earlier technology....

Inflation may be coming down- but three big influences have accelerated living costs for Kiwi households.  The cost of living has gone up by 7.4 percent in a year, with groceries, insurance and interest payments driving up these increases. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says these increases will keep inflation up for longer in a temporary worst-of-both-worlds scenario. LISTEN ABOVE S...

Auckland Council has voted down introducing Māori seats for the 2025 local body elections, after a tense debate today. Councillors voted 11 to 9 against the decision. Auckland Councillor Alf Filipaina has expressed disappointment with this rejection. "This was about establishing Māori wards for 2025. The argument was a non-argument, because that work is getting done anyway- and it doesn't need to...