Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Government insists it's not 'forcing change' to close New Zealand's gender pay gap. Instead, Associate Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan says companies are being given the opportunity to outline their gap in pay. She announced today nine-hundred entities —each with more than 250 workers— will need to report their pay gap before the requirement's expanded to organis...

The fatal wildfires in Hawaii's Maui caught thousands of people off guard. At least 53 people are dead and around 11,000 are without power, with the rebuild expected to cost billions. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du-Plessis Allan that a lot of bodies are washing up out of the water. He says the fire was so strong that it jumped the streets and made its way onto boats and the pier,...

A big rebuild job ahead for Maui locals once the wildfires start to ease. At least 53 people are dead and around 11,000 are without power on the island as Hawaii faces one of the worst natural disasters in its history. Former Prime Minister John Key has a property there, but it's not affected. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that having gone through the Christchurch rebuild, he understands the ch...

A fire that tore through Britain's famed 'wonkiest' pub is now being treated as arson, according to police. The Crooked House, located in the Black Country, caught fire over the weekend and had to be bulldozed, angering residents. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the fire brigade sent in a detector dog that sniffed out fire accelerants, which sparked the investigation. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio....

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in to discuss the following issues of the day- and more! A Taxpayers' Union funded Curia poll shows Labour's taken another hit- the party's down 4 points to 27 percent. National's up by 1.6 points to to 34.9 per cent and ACT is down slightly to 13. The Greens have also jumped by 3 points to 12 and NZ...

Hundreds of punnets of Zespri kiwifruit have been recalled in the US after routine sampling found listeria. Testing carried out by the Kentucky Department for Public Health last month revealed that one-pound punnets of Zespri kiwifruit wasn't fit for consumption. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the contaminated kiwifruit was sold in 14 states- but no illnesses have been reported. LISTEN ABOVE See...

China's descent into deflation paired with rising prices in New Zealand could spell trouble. Consumer prices in China fell for the first time in over two years, which concerns other economies battling the impact of inflation.  NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says New Zealand exports plenty of products to China- and their economic decline creates risks. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/...

A major coup for the Highlanders, with former coach Jamie Joseph re-joining the franchise as the newly-created Head of Rugby. The 53-year-old has signed on for four years and will start his role in February after his Rugby World Cup commitments with Japan. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what Jamie Joseph will do for the Highlanders here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Public-private partnerships have sparked debate, following the release of Health NZ's operating model. The agency's new operating model mentions private sector participation as an investment option for hospitals- but the Government doesn't believe it's an appropriate way to fund health infrastructure. NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff says PPPs are a good deal for private businesses- but haven't wo...

A recent survey of over 1000 dairy, sheep, beef and arable farmers found that industry confidence is at a historic low. The Farmer Confidence survey, conducted in July, found that 1 percent of farmers were satisfied with economic conditions- and over 81 percent of respondents were unsatisfied.  Federated Farmers President Wayne Langford says this is the worst result recorded since the Farmer Confi...

An Auckland bottle store has been shut down after a group of neighbours complained it hadn't lived up to its promise of being boutique. The Sandringham store, Liquids, went to renew its licence and extend its opening hours- but instead had both rejected. Operations Manager Jithin Chittibomma says they're appealing the decision. "We have not broken a single law, we have not broken a single conditio...

Former Cabinet Minister Alfred Ngaro's revealed the motivations behind his political comeback, saying Kiwi voters don't know who to trust. Ngaro's formed a Christian party, to be known as New Zeal, which he'll formally launch tomorrow - just two months shy of election day. He was a minister in Bill English's National Government, and says none of the political parties running for office this year f...

A not-for-profit Kiwisaver provider says it's tough competing in New Zealand's banking market. The Commerce Commission has today revealed the nation's banks are more profitable than overseas counterparts. It's just released an initial review of those profits and plans to investigate whether a lack of competition is the problem. Simplicity co-founder Sam Stubbs says most other OECD countries have o...

ACT wants to overhaul the Sentencing Act and put the victims of crime at the centre of judges' considerations. Under the policy, cultural background reports would no longer be considered as a principle of sentencing. And home detention would only be an option if it didn't impact public safety. ACT Leader David Seymour says this applies to sexual offenders who are on a community based sentence. "At...

A former Cabinet Minister's revealed he's heading back into politics - with just over two months to go until election day. Newstalk ZB revealed Alfred Ngaro has formed a Christian Party, to be known as New Zeal. Ngaro was a minister in Bill English's National Government, but says Christians need a voice which isn't being given by any party at the moment. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Sop...

Speculation is brewing over the intentions of the woman who cooked up a deadly mushroom lunch in Victoria Gail and Don Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson died after having lunch at their ex-daughter-in-law Erin Patterson's home. Heather's husband, Ian, remains in a critical condition. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the ex-husband of the woman, Simon Patterson, claims she once...

Auckland Primary Principals want education to stop being politicised. A survey of 150 schools has found at least 45 minutes a day is currently being taught in each subject of reading, writing and maths. National says it should be at least an hour, but educators say there's no value in that. Auckland Primary Principals' Association president Kyle Brewerton says all parties are spouting ideology to...

ACT’s released its tougher on crime sentencing policy today , and I'll be honest with you - even I'm shocked at how little consideration judges have to pay to victims when they sentence offenders .  ACT has pointed out that at the moment , basically everything is about the offender . Take a look at the sentencing principles in the Sentencing Act : Judges must take into account any particular circu...

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has apologised for mistakenly revealing details of all 10,000 staff members. By human error, the PSNI had shared names of all police and civilian personnel, where they were based and their roles. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this breach puts them at risk of being targeted by republican paramilitaries, and they must be extremely vigilant about their securi...

Tonight on The Huddle, Projects Director at Still, Sam Johnson, and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The National Party has promised they will ban mobile phones from schools if they get elected. Is this a good idea? The Public Service Commission has told off the Ministry of Pacific Peoples for spending $40,...

The Chinese economy has slipped into deflation, as declining domestic spending impacted the region's post-Covid recovery. China's CPI fell 0.3 points in July, having completely flatlined in June. These figures are off the back of exports falling sharply in July by 14.5 percent. Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan says weak household demand and retail spending and a declining property marke...

The Government's new partnership with BlackRock Capital is set to fast-track the nation's transition to renewable energy. BlackRock's investment fund is set to boost renewable solar, wind and green hydrogen energy infrastructure to eventually produce 100 percent renewable electricity. Milford Asset Management analyst Deborah Lambie warns New Zealand's power grid is set to face more challenge and c...

The Government have ditched plans to implement tougher regulations on Buy Now, Pay Later providers. They had initially proposed requiring affordability tests on purchases above $600 to ensure users could manage taking on debt, but have since ruled it 'too onerous'. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says the Government may have been spooked by the fallout from the CCCFA changes,...

ASB Bank have posted record annual profits, but the signs of an economic slowdown impacted their earnings. The bank reported a net profit for the year ended June of $1.56 billion, up 6 percent on the year before. ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt says the bank has deployed nearly $1 billion worth of capital into New Zealand marketplace, impacting their total capital. "The more lending we do, the more deposi...

New Zealand's public sector watchdog has slammed the Ministry of Pacific Peoples for spending tens of thousands on a farewell event. It's been revealed the Ministry splashed nearly $40,000 on a goodbye event for former chief executive Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae, who was moving to another ministry.  ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says an event of this scale funded by taxpayers' mone...