Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A booking system is being set up for the Tongariro Crossing. The Department of Conservation says it's a plan to manage visitor numbers- it'll be free to book and not compulsory. Tour company Adrift Tongariro co-owner Stewart Barclay says it's a trial for now. "And it will be compulsory in a wee while, maybe next summer. It's a bit of a dry run test, really." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listene...

A political commentator says he doubts an incorrect email sent by the Council of Trade Unions was a genuine mistake. The CTU's email sent on Sunday night incorrectly claimed National would remove policies like 10 days sick leave and the Winter Energy Payment. It has now clarified it meant to say they are things National has opposed in the past. Commentator Peter Dunne says the CTU economist previo...

Weet-Bix will soon be back in trolleys at the Warehouse. Sanitarium has reversed a decision announced last week to withhold supply - although still stocking supermarkets. The Warehouse's $6 charge for Weet-Bix is lower than other outlets. Chief Product Officer Tania Benyon says despite Sanitarium's change of heart, they still want the issue looked into. "What led Sanitarium to this decision, and j...

Australian homeowners can breathe a sigh of relief - with interest rates on hold for the 4th month in a row. The Reserve Bank Governor has today handed down a decision to keep the Official Cash Rate at 4.1 percent. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the Reserve Bank will be looking to bring inflation down, but stubbornly high fuel prices threaten to disrupt the downswing. LISTEN ABOVE See o...

The mystery surrounding the damage to the Ranfurly Shield has compounded. The Shield's craftsman has cast doubt over Hawke's Bay's explanation that the rugby taonga split in two when dropped on a concrete floor. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave shares his theory here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data paints a 'dire' picture of our children's academic abilities, sparking concern from experts. Results from the 2023 NCEA Literacy and Numeracy assessments show that 2 out of 3 Year 10 students passed the reading component and only half passed writing and numeracy. The writing results are a step up from last year's pilot, but reading and mathematics skills are down. Secondary Principals' As...

Is Chris Luxon chickening out of the press debate tonight? Of course he is ch ickening out . Sure, his campaign diary will be full and it’ll be a pain in the butt to rearrange things to fit in an afternoon and evening in Christchurch, because it is a several hours long operation to get ready for a debate and then do the debate . But if he really wanted to do it , he would . He just doesn’t. Fair e...

NHS bosses are warning are warning patients to expect extreme disruption in hospitals ahead of a planned walkout. Junior doctors and consultants have staged a three-day joint walkout in England amid ongoing disputes over pay. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says one million appointments have had to be put on hold or rescheduled as a result of these strikes. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Last week's Mood of the Boardroom survey ranked National's Chris Luxon over his Labour counterpart. The survey compiled responses from more than 100 chief executives and leaders- with Luxon scoring 3.24 out of 5 compared to Hipkins' 2.95. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says voters are still sceptical of National's tax package, with experts criticising the party's priorities. LISTEN ABOV...

Cash-strapped GPs are being forced to fund an important medical tool out of pocket. The Point of Care Ultrasound (Pocus), a handheld device widely used by general practitioners overseas, is not publicly funded by Te Whatu Ora. Pinnacle Health Clinical Director Jo Scott-Jones says the tool allows doctors to get a physical view into a patient's body in order to detect conditions. "With a stethoscope...

Australia's bushfire season has kicked off, with extreme fire danger warnings and total fire bans across the Tasman. Firefighters battled 85 active fires in New South Wales alone last night, with 39 still not being contained. Victoria is also being hit with soaring temperatures and strong winds, and authorities have told residents of Briagolong, Culloden, Moornapa, Stockdale and surrounding areas...

Labour may need to change gear for the next week of election campaigning. Party leader and incumbent Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has Covid and will isolate for five days, or until he tests negative. Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson says these circumstances aren't ideal, but Labour has a big team of candidates and volunteers raising support on the campaign trail. "There's not a lot we can do a...

Yet another thread to the situation surrounding Hawke's Bay Rugby and the Ranfurly Shield. Following the after-party celebrating the Magpies' win, images surfaced of a broken Shield with white powder on it- and a player was charged for drink-driving. Sportstalk's Jason Pine recaps a tumultuous weekend in the history of Hawke's Bay rugby. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Police are breath testing people at levels not seen for a decade. They've done 2.6 million tests in the past year, more than a million up on the previous 12 months. The police target is 3 million per year. AA road safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen says numbers have been low since before the pandemic. "The AA, for a number of years has been beating the drum and saying 'we've got to get these number...

Cabinet's approved another Crown loan to keep Mount Ruapehu's skifields operational. The $7 million Crown funding includes a $4.3 million loan to the under-liquidation RAL. The rest goes into an in-principle agreement of support to the preferred bidder, subject to being granted a concession. Pure Turoa has been trying to take over skifield operations in a joint bid with Whakapapa Holdings. PwC Liq...

A Hawke's Bay rugby player has been charged by the police after Saturday night's Shield celebration. An image has surfaced on social media of white powder on the broken Ranfurly Shield, which Hawke's Bay Rugby say was accidentally dropped on a concrete floor. TVNZ rugby commentator Scotty Stevenson says it's obvious that the Hawke's Bay players and associates have no respect for the history of the...

National has disclosed allegations of violence and intimidation threatening to disrupt their election campaign. Allegations claim a gang threat has forced a candidate to move house, a volunteer's faced death threats, and another's been the victim of a dog attack. Labour's Angela Roberts has reported being slapped at a debate, and Te Pati Maori's Hana Maipi-Clarke says she's had a politically-motiv...

Every Monday until the election, The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, former Business NZ CEO Phil O’Reilly and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills have the insight word and analysis.   This week, the The Spinoff’s Editor-at-Large Toby Manhire steps in for Barry Soper. Our ex...

A 16-year-old boy was arrested Thursday in northern England in connection with what authorities described as the “deliberate” felling of a famous tree that had stood for nearly 200 years next to the Roman landmark Hadrian's Wall. Thousands of visitors each year walk along Hadrian's Wall, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that guarded the Roman Empire's northwestern frontier. Many have paused to admire...

Trading in shares of heavily indebted Chinese property developer China Evergrande Group was suspended in Hong Kong on Thursday, according to a notice on the Hong Kong stock exchange. China Evergrande said in a notice on Thursday night that authorities had informed the firm that its chairman, Hui Ka Yan, had been subjected to “mandatory measures in accordance with the law due to suspicion of illega...

No surprise at all, this year's Mood of the Boardroom survey has shown that businesses are extremely disappointed in the Labour government. But it also shows nervousness over whether National will be decisive enough to turn the economy. In the CEO’s ranking, Christopher Luxon beat Chris Hipkins, but with an average of 3.5 points out of 5, Luxon looks far from a candidate that has the business team...

The All Blacks are back in Rugby World Cup action in a do-or-die clash with Italy. They go in as overwhelming favourites, but a loss would see the All Blacks join Australia in the departure lounge. A suggestion that New Zealand netballers should be allowed to play overseas. An Australian netball commentator has made the call, for the good of keeping up the quality with the opposition. The Warriors...

The All Blacks are back in action tomorrow morning at the Rugby World Cup. The near-full-strength team will go into their clash with Italy in Lyon as overwhelming favourites. But if they somehow find a way to lose, their Rugby World Cup campaign will be over. Sky Sport rugby commentator Tony Johnson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s official - El Nino has begun. The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) announced the start of the weather cycle in its Season Climate Outlook for October to December today. It increases the likelihood of “dramatic” temperature swings in these months, the outlook says, bringing periods of unseasonably warm weather followed by sharp, cool southerly winds. There’s a higher...

Questions are being raised about why Weet-Bix is no longer being supplied to The Warehouse. The Commerce Commission's looking into Sanitarium's decision after it cited a ‘shortage’ for pulling the product from the red shed’s shelves. Woolworths and Foodstuffs say they haven't had any conversations with Sanitarium about the move. Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden told Heather du Plessis-Allan...