Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Unemployment is rising - but remains historically low - as the election approaches. New Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate reached 3.6 percent for the three months to June. That's up 0.2 percent, from 3.4 percent in the preceding quarter. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says these figures indicate that the start of recession-influenced unemployment is upon us. LISTEN ABOVE See...

The US Justice Department's indicted Donald Trump, alleging dishonesty, fraud and deceit. The former US President's scheduled to appear in a Washington DC courthouse on charges to do with alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Counts include conspiracy to defraud the US, obstruct an official proceeding, and infringe citizen's rights. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Trump has fired ba...

Claims the Government's top chief executives have been asked to tighten their belts. Our newsroom confirmed the heads of major Government departments met the Finance Minister, and it's understood spending restraint was discussed. Grant Robertson warned the Government had hard choices ahead. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says those choices need to start with wasteful spending. "The...

The gap between Labour and National could be starting to widen, as election day gets closer. The latest Newshub-Reid Research poll shows National and Act both up with enough support to see them form a Government Labour has dropped 3.6 points to 32.3 percent, but the Greens are up to 9.6 percent. Former MP turned political commentator Peter Dunne says Labour's dip is reflective of other polls. He s...

A former pupil in the care of a Catholic order in Christchurch has described it as 'Hell on Earth'. The Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry has published a report on the treatment of children at three Brothers of St John of God institutions in Christchurch, over decades. They were Marylands School, Hebron Trust and St Joseph’s Orphanage. Marylands survivor and former pupil, Darryl Smith, say...

Donald Trump has been indicted on four counts in the investigation into the interference of the 2020 US election. The former President is scheduled to appear in a Washington DC courthouse on charges of conspiracy to defraud the US, obstruct an official proceeding, and infringe citizen's rights. Former adviser to George W Bush, Scott Jennings, says Trump will still be able to run for President, but...

Secondary teachers will vote on a new pay offer next week. The Government's agreed to offer the 14.5 percent increase recommended by an Arbitration Panel. $374 million worth of savings have been found within the education budget. Education Minister Jan Tinetti says that includes deferring projects at Te Ao Marama and Hobsonville Point Secondary School. They are part of a Public Private Partnership...

National claims the Government's finances are teetering on the edge. Our newsroom has confirmed the Finance Minister met heads of major Government departments today. It's understood spending restraint was discussed. Grant Robertson today warned the Government had hard choices ahead. National's Nicola Willis says they believe things are much worse than forecast in the Budget. "Grant Robertson has i...

It could be too little, too late for some All Blacks players, with the naming of the 33-man squad for the Rugby World Cup looming. Saturday's second Bledisloe Cup clash with the Wallabies in Dunedin is the final hit-out for those looking to book their ticket to France. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave weighs in on what to expect for the upcoming announcement. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/liste...

Officials deny a potential freeze on hiring back-office police staff is about tight finances. That's despite one of the country's top cops warning staff of a more 'fiscally constrained' environment, in an email seen by our newsroom. It includes cuts to contractors and consultants and a pause on hiring fulltime non-constabulary staff. But Police Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming says it's about...

Do not fall into the trap of thinking these latest charges against Donald Trump, just because they’re the most serious yet , are going to change his fortunes in next year’s American election.  He is still on track to become the Republican nominee for President. In fact, if anything, we should assume right now   that this is going to only make him more popular. Because if you look back, you will se...

A handful of UK-based retailers are incorporating facial recognition technology to crack down on shoplifting.  UK police are employing pre-existing live facial recognition (LFR) technology to create a database of offenders with the aim of reducing retail crime. UK correspondent Enda Brady says between 340,000 to 8 million shoplifting incidents occurred in 2022, and this is costing companies at lea...

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! New research reveals a third of Kiwis are thinking of moving overseas to Australia for more opportunities and better wages after recent changes gave Kiwis an easier pathway to Aussie citizenship. Is this concerning for New Zealand'...

A group of veteran public servants who were appointed to set up four water entities are collecting high salaries for work that no longer exists. Jon Lamonte, Vaughan Payne, Colin Crampton and Michael Brewster were commissioned to run the Government's proposed water super-entities- until they were scrapped for 10 entities in April. NZ Herald business journalist Kate McNamara says their salaries wer...

Analysts are feeling less than optimistic about tonight's GDT auction amid low Chinese demand for dairy. According to the SGX-NZX futures market, whole milk powder prices are expected to fall a further 3 percent. The Country's Jamie Mackay says it's a grim market for dairy farmers following on from environmental  disasters. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson remains under pressure, as he bats off questions about Labour's tax policy. Robertson is still refusing to confirm whether Labour will remove the GST from fruit and vegetables, amid allegations from National. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says Labour's been caught flat-footed, as Robertson would have said so directly if the party weren't considering...

New research shows over a third of New Zealand's workforce are thinking of quitting their jobs and moving to Australia. A joint university study highlights those workers are 2.6 times more likely to jump the ditch - after recent changes gave Kiwis an easier pathway to Australian citizenship. Massey Business School Professor Jarrod Haar says Kiwis are struggling financially and more opportunities p...

NZ First leader Winston Peters is sticking to his guns in refusing to form a coalition Government with Labour. Peters launched his comeback last week, lambasting both the left and right sides of the aisle on the campaign trail. He says NZ First is aiming to form a 'better Government' without aid from Labour. "Having said, we're ruling out Labour, no question about that. I said we've got to form a...

The Privacy Commissioner is frustrated by the New Zealand Police’s recent serious privacy breach. Police inadvertently disclosed the email addresses of 147 firearms owners by Te Tari Pūreke on Wednesday, 26 July. Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says that these firearms owners are in a situation where their personal information has been inadvertently released- again. "If you think about the pe...

Broadcaster and commentator Paddy Gower says the horse has already bolted on the Government's attempt to crack down on vaping. All vapes will need to have removable or replaceable batteries, there will be a ban on new vape shops near schools, and new restrictions on 'enticing' flavours. He says these new regulations won't solve the 'gigantic' problem of youth nicotine addiction- an issue he explor...

Economists are baffled over BNZ's decision to bump up the interest rates on three home loan terms. The bank will lift their six-month rate from 7.85 percent to 7.99 percent. Their four- and five-year rates will increase from 6.89 percent to 7.09 percent. Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan says the six-month rate increase is at odds with BNZ's own economic forecast. "The six-month rate is...

 I don’t think it’s going to surprise you to hear the huge numbers of Kiwi workers  thinking about moving to Australia-  it's a third of us.   Researchers from Massey and Otago Universities asked workers if they would consider moving to Australia . 10 percent said yes , and 26 percent said maybe. Now, thinking about it and doing it are two different things . But I’ve never had this many  conversat...

An expert claims Lauren Dickason showed no evidence of insanity just after killing her children. She's on trial at the High Court in Christchurch, accused of murdering her three daughters in Timaru in 2021. The Crown's first expert, forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio, carried out nine hours of interviews with Dickason after the deaths. The Herald's Anna Leask says Monasterio agrees Dickason...

The latest Roy Morgan NZ poll shows a National/ACT coalition has a clear lead over the current Government. The right-leaning coalition is up by 2.5 points to 47.5 percent, surging ahead of Labour's 26 percent and the Greens' 9 percent- a historic low for both parties. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this is the beginning of the gap between the right and the left- with this poll...

The Reserve Bank of Australia is holding the OCR at 4.1 percent, to assess the impact of prior hikes. The RBA warns that more increases may be needed to ensure inflation drops to their target in a reasonable timeframe. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Australian homeowners and renters will appreciate this pause, however temporary. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...