Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Tonight on The Huddle, Neale Jones from PR firm Capital and Paddy Gower from Paddy Gower Has Issues joined in on a discussion about the following topics- and more! Labour appears to have quietly scrapped their prison reduction target- is this a big deal? They had achieved a 30 percent drop in the last two terms but it's since climbed again to 20 percent. Does it seem to you also that Hipkins accid...

A leading economist believes New Zealand's economy is at the "bottom edge" when compared to other developed countries. This follows the Government laying out their Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update and revealing a surplus has been pushed out an extra year amid a lower tax take. HSBC's Paul Bloxham says inflation isn't coming down fast enough, when compared to other countries. LISTEN ABOVE Se...

Last week, political parties polling above five percent squared off at Hamilton's Mystery Creek Events Centre. Labour's Damien O’Connor, National's Todd McClay and others faced off in the Rural Issues debate, hosted by ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan. The Country's Jamie Mackay recapped the highs and lows of the debate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour and National are facing scrutiny as they promote their respective tax policies ahead of the election. Both parties will also have the additional challenge of getting New Zealand back to budget surplus by 2027. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie explains why both parties should release a pre-Christmas budget ahead of the election. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Australia's NSW south coast has had its fire danger warning upgraded to 'catastrophic', following high winds and soaring temperatures. The upgraded warning came as Sydney airport recorded its highest temperature since 2000 and several schools in the area were forced to close. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this warning comes 4 years after the infamous fire storms wreaked havoc across th...

A dark web ransomware site claims to have stolen user data following a cyber attack on Auckland Transport. The transport agency's ticket payment system was temporarily shut down following last week's attack, and hacker group Medusa is demanding a ransom. Darkscope technical director Joerg Buss says there's no indication that the group found any personal information at this point. "We haven't found...

Petrol is expected to rise to $3.50 a litre for 91 octane by Christmas. High oil demand globally is a contributing factor - as well as a weak New Zealand dollar - trading for about $59.2 US cents. AA principal motoring affairs policy advisor Terry Collins says prices for crude oil have steadily increased in the last few months. "The scary part is, in the last few weeks, it's gone up 14.5 percent....

Chris Hipkins has just confirmed Labour is dropping its plan to get people out of jails . When they first took over six years ago , Labour set a target of reducing the prison population by 30 percent in 15 years . That target is now gone . Hipkins was asked about it today, and says there is no target for the next term . This is massive, because Labour was celebrated for this . On November 29, 2018...

One City Councillor reckons the Wellington mayor's business delegation could've been cheaper. Tory Whanau and several council officials are visiting China, Japan, and South Korea to promote Wellington as a city to live and do business. It comes at a cost of around $50,000. Councillor Ray Chung says not everyone who's on the trip needed to be there. "What reason would a wellness manager have to go...

The countdown is on to this election's first Leaders' Debate. Labour's Chris Hipkins and National's Chris Luxon go head-to-head on TVNZ from 7pm. Former National Prime Minister, Sir John Key, says Luxon's the under-dog - and may have the tougher job. "There are actually a lot of people who want to vote for him and want to vote for National- so they will just be making sure he's the real deal. So t...

Expect a full-strength Warriors side to be named for Saturday's NRL preliminary final against the Broncos in Brisbane. Halfback Shaun Johnson and forwards Marata Niukore and Mitch Barnett trained separately from the team as they nurse injuries, but all are set to play. ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave shares his line-up predictions here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expect a full-strength Warriors side to be named for Saturday's NRL preliminary final against the Broncos in Brisbane. Halfback Shaun Johnson and forwards Marata Niukore and Mitch Barnett trained separately from the team as they nurse injuries, but all are set to play. ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave shares his line-up predictions here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A u-turn from Labour. The Party says it'll dump its 2018 target of reducing the prison population by 30 percent within 15 years. It says the crisis has been averted and a target's no longer needed. National Party Corrections spokesperson Mark Mitchell says it's an extraordinary change. He says it's been Labour's core justice policy for the past 6 years. "At the same time, they had no plans to keep...

Prison population targets will be no more if Labour gets back in Government, because it says they've served their purpose. In 2018, the Labour Government promised to reduce the prison population by 30 percent within 15 years. Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the target was set because prisons were bursting at the seams when Labour took office, describing scenes of triple bunks and mattresses...

A Christchurch City Councillor is firmly against new city speed limits. The Council's 'Draft Safer Speed Plan' includes a reduction to 30 kilometres an hour in residential areas - and 50 on roads like Blenheim Road and Memorial Avenue. Its Transport Operations Manager, Stephen Wright, says the evidence shows safer speeds save lives. Councillor Aaron Keown disagrees. He claims there's no evidence l...

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent  Barry Soper  has been admitted to hospital and is to have open-heart surgery to remove a blockage. “I’d been feeling a bit out of breath walking up hills over the past few weeks and decided to go to my doctor for a check-up,” Soper said today. “They ran some tests and it turns out I have a blockage near my heart, which needs to be removed through surgery...

Nurse Lucy Letby seeks to appeal against her convictions after murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another six. Letby was sentenced last month to life in prison with no chance of release after a jury found her guilty of the seven murders between June 2015 and June 2016. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this news comes after another hearing was confirmed to determine whether the Crown Pro...

It's been rumoured in business circles that Luxon is scoping top Kiwi figures as part of his potential administration.  Fraser Whineray and Andrew Grant have reportedly been courted by National's leader ahead of the election. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says the pair have declined so far, but Luxon has expressed interest in partnering with Whineray and Grant. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystu...

A2 Milk has cancelled the exclusive manufacturing supply arrangement it has with infant formula maker Synlait Milk, citing a decline in delivery standards. Synlait's shares fell 10 percent following the cancellation of the deal. Dairy Insights Consultant Stuart Davison says this isn't good for the company, but they will be able to bounce back quickly. "They're definitely in trouble- but let's be c...

Ryan Fox's coach thought an early triple bogey had put an end to his chances of winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The Kiwi golfer bounced back in triumphant fashion - dropping eight birdies in 15 holes for a five-under 67 that sealed victory in Surrey. Sportstalk host Nick Bewley explains Fox's exciting turnaround here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's finance spokesperson remains coy about the Government turning down a proposal to stop funding gangs. Cabinet rejected a proposal in July by then-Justice Minister Kiri Allan banning anyone gang-affiliated from receiving public funding. Grant Robertson says he doesn't recall getting involved with that discussion. "Governments in the past have given a range of funding to agencies who work wi...

A famous day for Fiji, an infamous day for Australia in the rugby world. Fiji's 22-15 win in World Cup pool C action has enlivened the group - with the Wallabies now likely needing a win over Wales next week to get through. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says the crowd laid into Wallabies coach Eddie Jones as his side spiralled to defeat. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Actor and comedian Russell Brand is facing emotional abuse, rape and sexual assault accusations. Four women have come forward to overseas media, alleging it happened between 2006 and 2013. Brand is denying the allegations, saying his relationships have always been consensual. Entertainment correspondent Sean Mandell says it seriously impacted the women who are accusing him. "One woman who claims h...

One disgruntled Kiwi motorist managed to receive pothole damage compensation from Waka Kotahi- putting him in the minority of drivers. Waka Kotahi paid out 22 compensation claims for vehicle damage from potholes and defects in state highways in the past three years. That’s despite the transport agency receiving more than 2200 claims over that timeframe. Scott Hearn gave Waka Kotahi an ultimatum, b...

It's now cheaper to rent a home in New Zealand than to buy - at least in the short-term. BNZ has revealed servicing a mortgage takes about 50 percent of the average household income. Chief economist Mike Jones says that's more than double the cost of renting, at about 24 percent. But he says that doesn't mean renting is the most cost-effective over the long-haul - because no one knows what house p...