Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Nicola Willis says saving taxpayers' money isn't her party's primary motivation for a plan to index benefits to inflation. She recommitted to the pledge in National's fiscal policy today, which promises less Government spending and less debt. Willis told Heather du Plessis-Allan the benefit moves are a point of principal for National. “That what we owe all New Zealanders is a social safety net – t...

National has released its fiscal plan ahead of the election. But the operating allowance is the biggest difference between it and Labour’s – with Labour having $3.5 billion to National’s $3.2 billion. National has also allowed a $9.9 billion buffer for anything extraordinary like a natural disaster. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has also said they will do a mini-budget ahead of Christmas if elect...

House Republicans launched a formal impeachment hearing Thursday against President Joe Biden, promising to “provide accountability” as they probe the family finances and lucrative business dealings of his son Hunter and make their case to the public, colleagues and a skeptical Senate. The chairmen of the Oversight, Judiciary, and Ways and Means committees used the opening hearing to review the con...

It’s do-or-die time for the All Blacks, if they want to keep their Rugby World Cup hopes alive. Despite bringing out a largely full-strength team, a loss to Italy would all but spell an end to their campaign. Breakers captain Tom Abercrombie is set to make his 400th appearance for the Breakers. Last year’s NBL runners-up are set to get their campaign underway this weekend, with the 36-year-old Abe...

An Australian netball commentator reckons we need to change the rules and let New Zealand netballers play in teams across the ditch if they want to. The hope is to try and help the Silver Ferns keep up with international-level netball, considering how the national team is doing - losing the first match of their Taini Jamison series to England’s development team. Netball commentator Sue Gaudion joi...

A British Airways pilot was sacked from his job after allegedly snorting cocaine before he was due to fly a plane back to London. An air hostess raised the alarm after the pilot, Mike Beaton, texted her to brag about his night of partying. UK correspondent says the air hostess clearly felt the need to alert authorities about possible risks to the passengers. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listene...

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Luxon and Hipkins went head to head in their second leaders debate last night - who do you think won? Do you think debates convince any voters or are they for entertainment only? Winston Peters is gaining momentum in the polls- will National ne...

The Wellington protest has wrapped up peacefully. Around 2000 people marched from Civic Square to Parliament today as part of Brian Tamaki's Freedom and Rights Coalition demonstration. Police say 100 officers were on duty, with no reported issues. Roads around Parliament had been shut off due to the protest, with office workers warned to work from home today. Tamaki says the police and media overr...

ASB's latest rural report warns New Zealand's farming community is set to keep having their resilience tested. The report says farmers are in for another challenging 12-18 months, as commodity prices drop and China's economic downturn carries risks for several Kiwi rural sectors. The Country's Jamie Mackay says New Zealand's dairy, lamb and forestry sectors have already taken a hit from China's ec...

The uptick in strikes across the world has generated awareness about the impact of organised labour. This week has been a big one for unions, after the Writers Guild of America reached a deal with entertainment studios to bring an end to the Hollywood writers' strike. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains why more workers are coming together to address concerns- and what that means for investors....

Westpac has hiked their mortgage rates up again, joining Kiwibank and BNZ. From tomorrow, Westpac is lifting its standard rates for its two-year and four-year mortgages to 7.59 percent and 7.19 per cent respectively, up 10 basis points. The 18-month and five-year standard home loan rates have been bumped up 14bp to 7.69 percent and 6.99 percent respectively. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam...

A parliamentary committee is investigating the Australian Government's decision to block extra Qatar Airways flights. The committee aims to compel Transport Minister Catherine King to give evidence, and chair Bridget McKenzie has threatened jail time if former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce doesn't appear. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says it has emerged that Qantas lobbied hard to stop Qatar Airwa...

Winston Peters could be the one benefiting most from Labour and National's coalition squabbles. In last night's Leaders Debate, Labour's Chris Hipkins dug into National's Chris Luxon over his plans to work with New Zealand First, if needed. Newstalk ZB Editor Jason Walls says the more Peters is discussed, the more his vote share will increase. He says this could leak votes from National and Act, w...

Damian McKenzie will come off the All Blacks bench for the first time this year as coach Ian Foster moulds his side to play Italy on Saturday morning. The run-on team is close to full strength, especially with the returns of Shannon Frizell and Jordie Barrett from injury. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what we can expect from this World Cup match. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listen...

Campaigners for one of the nation's deadliest cancers feel like their cause is being ignored this election. At last night's debate, Luxon and Hipkins both promised to lower the age for free bowel cancer screenings going forward. Prostate Cancer Foundation President Danny Bedingfield says the Government has show it cares about people's lives- but their cause needs more support. "What we're looking...

From Saturday, a Kiwi breakfast staple will be removed from The Warehouse's cereal aisle. Sanitarium is no longer providing Weet-Bix products to any Warehouse stores, citing 'supply constraints'. The Warehouse headed straight to the Commerce Commission for a solution- after they discovered they were the only retailer affected. Chief Product Officer Tania Benyon says it's 'very strange' that Sanita...

Auckland restaurant The Grove has been named the 11th best fine dining eatery in the world, according to Tripadvisor.  Tripadvisor's list measures traveller ratings and reviews- and only the most favourably ranked restaurants make the cut. Co-owner Michael Dearth says this is amazing news, following years of uncertainty for Kiwi businesses after the Covid-19 pandemic. "Anyone who owns a business-...

Waka Kotahi has given e-scooters another legal exemption for five years. It allows them to be used without being classified as motor vehicles- meaning no need to meet vehicle standards, be registered, or have number plates. Riders don't need driver's licenses and they can be used on footpaths. Living Streets President Tim Jones says he's gutted. "We think that the profit of these e-scooter compani...

The cyclone clean-up in Hawkes Bay has been given a cash injection, but officials say it's not enough. The Government's announced another $10 million in funding for the region, on top of the $130 million already given. After the cyclone, local officials told the Government it's going to be a $200 million dollar job, at least. Hawkes Bay Regional Council's Hinewai Ormsby says there's still a lot of...

The Property Investors Federation welcomes ACT's proposed housing policy changes- but tenant advocacy groups are sceptical. The plan includes reinstating mortgage interest deductibility, abolishing the bright-line test and allowing no fault evictions. Federation President Sue Harrison says these changes will make it easier for landlords and tenants alike. "No one wants to evict good tenants, no on...

I don’t quite know how we’re back here, but we are - Winston's back in Government, isn’t he?   I think all the signs now point to the fact that National can’t do it without him . The Herald’s Poll of Polls says National and ACT have a 40 percent chance of forming Government alone. With Winston, it’s a 99.7 percent chance . The big donors are backing him, he’s pulling in more money right now than i...

The UN has slapped down the UK for seeking changes to the UN’s Refugee Convention.  Home Secretary Suella Braverman says fearing discrimination for being gay or a woman should not be enough to qualify for international refugee protection. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Braverman is being accused of 'dog-whistle politics', as several nations have criminalised homosexuality.  LISTEN ABOVE See omny...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Taxpayers have footed a legal aid bill of almost $900,000 for the defence of the Mama Hooch rapists. They have already said they will appeal, so the figure is set to rise significantly. Meanwhile, the victims get...

Employment confidence is declining, with workers claiming it's gotten harder to find jobs. The Westpac McDermott Miller employment confidence index fell in the September quarter. Economists also warn unemployment is likely to rise for the rest of the year. EMA Head of Advocacy Alan McDonald says the company's advice line is seeing a wave of inquiries about restructuring and redundancy advice. LIST...

The property market roared to life in August, according to new data.  The Reserve Bank's latest mortgage lending data shows banks issued $5.8 billion worth of mortgages last month- up 15.7 percent from July. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says this marks a turnaround for the property market. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.