Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Relentless wildfires are forcing more travellers to abandon their Greek holidays and evacuate. Thousands of British tourists are struggling to depart from the region, with the emergency conditions stranding people at airports and makeshift shelters. UK correspondent Enda Brady says thousands more prospective travellers can expect to have their bookings cancelled as the wildfires damage hotels. LIS...

Tonight on The Huddle, independent journalist Clare de Lore and Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster joined in on a discussion about the issues of the day- and more!  David Parker has given up his tax portfolio because he didn't get his way on the wealth tax. How bad does this look? Kiri Allan has confirmed she won't be seeking re-election. Is this the right call? Where does her political caree...

Rampant inflation and rising interest rates may create difficult times for dairy farmers in the coming months. Higher farming costs, fast-rising interest rates, and lower prices mean some farmers could struggle to break even- or wind up in debt. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the debt servicing has gone up from $0.50/kgMS to $1.20/kgMS, creating extra struggle for dairy farmers. LISTEN ABOVE See...

House prices have been falling, but the tide may turn soon enough. HSBC predicts house prices will rise again by 5 percent in 2024, with a strong rebound in migration supporting demand. Chief Economist Paul Bloxham says the increased number of migrants will drive prices up again, as this has already happened in Australia. "Now you're seeing really strong inward migration and we think that will sta...

According to recent political polls, both major parties are struggling to connect with middle voters. BusinessDesk’s poll of polls shows combined support for National and Labour is at 67 percent, a historic low.  BusinessDesk senior correspondent Dileepa Fonseka says the changing demographic of voters is creating a fractured political climate. "That basically makes the centre more meaningless than...

Auckland Council has explained what's causing the sinkhole on College Hill Road. The metre-by-three-metre hole opened up yesterday afternoon, disrupting traffic between Ponsonby and the CBD. Head of Healthy Waters Andrew Chin says there's a clay stormwater pipe over a hundred years old which has a hole in it. He says the surrounding fill is being washed into that hole. "Once the road seal breaks,...

New research reveals excessive screentime for kids may lead to metabolic syndrome developing later in life. A study has confirmed that those who watch more television between the ages of 5 and 15 were more likely to suffer adverse medical conditions by age 45. Otago University preventive and social medicine researcher Bob Hancox explained the syndrome refers to a cluster of conditions, including h...

The Philippines lead the Football Ferns 1-nil into the second half of their FIFA Women's World Cup contest in Wellington. New Zealand's had 56 per cent of possession compared to the Filipinas' 24 per cent and they've had seven attempts on goal compared to their opponents' two. Former All White David Chote says the Philippines are playing well, but there's still time for the Football Ferns to turn...

I don’t buy this debate about Chris Hipkins’ judgement as a leader and whether he made a mistake bringing Kiri Allan back to work from mental health leave too early. That wasn’t the mistake that he made. His mistake was that he didn’t fire her last month when he should've. I'm not convinced mental pressure is the sole explanation for what happened on Sunday night. I'm sure Kiri Allan is under a lo...

The opposition parties have been accused of politicising Kiri Allan's mental health crisis, but ACT's David Seymour says that's not the case. MPs across the house have been debating Kiri Allan's resignation from Cabinet and her decision to not stand in the 2023 election. Leader David Seymour says Kiri Allan has been subject to a tragic sequence of personal events- but Parliament still needs to add...

The Football Ferns match against the Philippines is kicking off at Wellington Regional Stadium. Azaria Howell is at the capital's waterfront FIFA Fan-zone. She says everyone is very excited. "All wearing football shirts, some people with flags, people cheering, people watching on- it is such an incredible vibe and just so much happiness going around Wellington." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/lis...

Lauren Dickason told police she hadn't felt normal for months before killing her children in Timaru. A jury at the High Court in Christchurch has watched her police interview, filmed the day after the deaths. She admits the killings but says it wasn't murder, with a defence of insanity and infanticide. The Herald's Anna Leask says Dickason told police she'd been "thinking about it... for a while."...

25-year-old Rafferty Rolfe has been charged with three counts of murder after a serious highway fatality in Queensland. Rolfe is accused of pursuing a Nissan Navara ute driven by retiree Terry Bishop and carrying passenger Gypsy Satterley. Both were killed in the crash along with Jessica Townley, who was driving the Great Wall. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Rolfe was after Gypsy Satter...

Kiri Allan has confirmed she won't be standing for re-election. The East Coast MP signalled she was quitting politics in an emotional post - saying she let down the Labour Party, the Prime Minister and New Zealanders. ZB political editor Jason Walls says he wouldn't bet on Kiri Allan returning to politics, as it's hard to return once you're out. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

No changes from the Football Ferns for this evening's World Cup group A clash against the Philippines in Wellington. It'll be the same line-up that beat Norway in the tournament opener. Kick-off is at 5.30. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what we can expect from both teams tonight.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A shaken motorist had handguns pointed at him while driving down the Waikato Expressway over the weekend. Noah Hutchinson was driving to Hamilton from Woodhill when a car pulled up next to him and two passengers shouted at him to take the next exit- while pointing weapons. He says the thieves were probably after his motorbike, and he slowed to catch up with the cars behind him to avoid a scene. "I...

Two more Greek islands, Evia and Corfu, are evacuating travellers as wildfires sweep the region for the sixth day. Over 19,000 people have already been evacuated from Rhodes, 16,000 by land and 3,000 by sea, with no casualties. The Greek Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection has described it as the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country”. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the b...

Tonight on The Huddle, current affairs commentator Josie Pagani and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Former Justice Minister has quit Cabinet after being charged with careless use of a vehicle and refusing to accompany an officer last night. Ginny Andersen has picked up her portfolio this afternoon. What does this men f...

There are growing calls for Labour to arrange a snap election following Kiri Allan's arrest and resignation. Kiri Allan is the latest Minister to depart following Stuart Nash and Michael Wood exiting after getting caught up in controversy. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan believes Chris Hipkins needs to put the current Labour Government out of its misery with an early election. "It's stil...

Thousands of causal workers in Australia could be on the path to permanent employment thanks to new proposed changes. Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says the proposal would close a loophole allowing companies to treat casuals like permanent employees without giving them benefits of secure employment. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says some workers will still want the flexibilit...

Twitter's famous blue bird logo is set to fly away to be replaced with a new symbol. Owner Elon Musk confirmed he plans to change the platform's logo to a letter X, marking the latest significant rebrand for the social media company. Social media commentator Vaughn Davis says this change is terrible from a branding perspective, but it could be the start of an expanded future for the platform. "I t...

The Finance Minister says he's been texting back and forth with Kiri Allan over the past day. Allan quit Cabinet this morning - after being charged with careless use of a vehicle and refusing to accompany an officer last night. The MP for East Coast has been dealing with mental health challenges in recent months. Minister Grant Robertson says Kiri has publicly recognised the need to be held accoun...

On the surface, Barbie and Oppenheimer may seem like opposites, but they're bringing in the crowds together. Both movies opened in theatres on the same day and filmgoers have felt inspired to purchase tickets for a 'Barbenheimer' double bill. Auckland University marketing professor Mike Lee says the 'Barbenheimer' experience has brought two different audiences together and increased the market sha...

A suggestion the economics in ACT's latest transport policy won't stack up. The Party says it would fund roading infrastructure with toll roads and more public-private partnerships. Greater Auckland Director Matt Lowrie says today's cost of construction means there's no way tolls could pay it off. "Look at something like Transmission Gully- you'd probably be looking at a toll of around $20 per car...

A man accused of kidnapping a Christchurch real estate agent had reportedly booked a one-way flight overseas. 44-year-old Harcourts employee Yanfei Bao was last seen in Wigram, on Wednesday. Her cellphone was found on the Southern Motorway on Friday. A 52-year-old Bryndwr man appeared in court today, understood to have been arrested at Christchurch Airport. The Herald's Sam Sherwood says Bao's hus...