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Victoria withdrawing from hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games has sparked debate about the event's future. The Victorian Government have pulled the pin after cost estimates blew out to at least $6 billion dollars. Australian sports correspondent Jim Dolan says suggestions this could be the beginning of the end for the Games - may be wrong. "Craig Phillips has come out very quickly saying the Games...

Victoria has pulled the pin on hosting the 2026 Commonwealth Games. Premier Daniel Andrews has announced the state can't afford to host the event after estimated costs ballooned out from $2.6 billion to over $6 billion. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countdown will start changing its signage back to the Woolworths name from next month. The supermarket has announced the $400 million transformation programme will include a rebrand and a refreshed loyalty scheme. Countdown and Woolworths Group NZ Manging Director Spencer Sonn says this rebrand is a material investment that will transform the business. "We've got a lot of old stores we need to upg...

I’m one of these people who every four years, vacillates over the value of the Commonwealth Games. ‘They’re outdated!’ I think, before the competition starts. ‘They’re a relic of the past!’ ‘What’s the point in sending our best athletes to a global competition that's missing 130 countries?’ But then, truthfully, the competition begins and inevitably, I lean in. A couple of golds in a couple of unl...

Russia has taken control of the Russian subsidiaries of beer company Carlsberg and yoghurt maker Danone. Russian President Vladimir Putin has placed the units under "temporary management" of the state, following rule changes from Moscow earlier this year. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says these rules allow Russia to seize assets from "unfriendly" countries- ones that halted support during the invas...

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar and former Labour Chief of Staff and Director at Mike Munro Communications, Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! School leaders are expecting staffing challenges for Term 3 as the teaching staff shortage continues to worsen. Is this going to impact voters come October? The G...

The UK has formally signed up to the CPTPP trade deal this weekend- with China and Ukraine still waiting. China applied to join in 2021, but NZME business commentator says there are geopolitical factors holding them back. She says China will bring plenty to the table if they join- but it's unlikely to happen anytime soon. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac economists predict that the Reserve Bank isn't done hiking up the OCR. The RBNZ has indicated through forecasts in the May Monetary Policy Statement that they don't see the OCR going up further than 5.5 percent. Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says it's going to be difficult getting inflation to go down to the target range of 3 percent within their 18-month timeframe. LISTEN ABOVE  ...

The Finance Minister denies New Zealand has undergone a mood-shift away from Labour. A just-released One News-Verian poll shows the right-bloc could form a Government with National on 35 and Act on 12. Labour's 33 percent, the Greens gained a sizeable three-point boost to 10 and Te Pāti Māori's gained one point to 3 percent. Minister Grant Robertson says matters will come into clearer focus as we...

A new poll shows although support is down for National, the right-wing bloc could form a Government. Tonight's One News-Verian poll shows National have dropped two points to 35 percent and Labour is down two points to 33. Act is up one to 12, the Greens are up three point to 10 percent and Te Pati Maori is up one to 3 percent. On those numbers, ACT and National would win 61 seats and the Labour/Gr...

School leaders are expecting staffing challenges for Term 3. Students returned to school today. Auckland Primary Principals' Association President Kyle Brewerton says in 20 years as a principal - he's never seen shortages this bad. Brewerton says about a third of respondents say shortages are worse this term, than last term. "We did put out a quick poll this afternoon, just little over 50 percent...

Volunteer divers have made an unusual discovery off the coast of Wellington's Oriental Bay. An unexploded fuze mechanism from World War II is the third potentially live piece of discarded military ammunition unearthed from the Capital's waters.  Ghost Diving NZ Founder and President Rob Wilson says the volunteer divers were taken aback by this dangerous discovery. "We immediately put it in a bucke...

The opening day's ended in the trial of the mother who allegedly murdered her three young daughters in Timaru. South African born Lauren Dickason pleaded not guilty to killing her six-year-old daughter and two-year-old twins in September 2021. The 41-year-old admits killing the children, but is mounting a defence of insanity. NZ Herald senior reporter Anna Leask says the jury has to decide whether...

Moves to help the justice system crack down on brazen criminal offending. The ram-raid trend of filming a criminal act and posting it online will now become an aggravating factor in sentencing. The Government is also creating a new offence for people commissioning children to offend, or rewarding them for it. Police Minister Ginny Andersen says she knows young people are competing on stealing cars...

A tree planting event in Perth has been called off after an Aboriginal group demanded $2.5 million for approval. 120 volunteers were set to plant at least 5500 shrubs and trees along Perth’s Canning River, until Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation demanded planting at a site of cultural significance cease. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says this is the second tree planting event that has bee...

Novak Djokovic believes the skillset of Carlos Alcaraz combines the best qualities of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Serb himself. The 20-year-old Spaniard's stormed to his maiden Wimbledon title and second grand slam to consolidate his ranking as the best men's tennis player in the world. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

The Greens say a policy announced today to return privately held land to Maori is about justice. If adopted, it would allow the Crown to negotiate buying land from owners prepared to sell, to return to Tangata Whenua. It would apply to land found by the Waitangi Tribunal to have been wrongfully acquired. It's unclear what'll happen if the owner isn't happy with the price. Party co-leader, Marama D...

UK fans have expressed shock that BBC news reader Huw Edwards is at the centre of this recent scandal. He had been outed by his wife, who later stated her husband was in hospital after a serious mental health episode. UK correspondent Enda Brady says many viewers see Edwards as a respected broadcaster and credible TV presence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strong wool prices in Australia and New Zealand are at a historic low. For the last three years, farmers have reportedly been hoarding their wool supply, but merchants in Australia have turned to dumping their supply because they can't afford to store it. The Country's Rowena Duncum says wool merchants in the UK and Europe are experiencing similar issues as the market declines. LISTEN ABOVE   See...

US inflation fell to 3 percent in June, highlighting the Federal Reserve's success at pushing down price pressures. The US dollar has dropped to a 15-month low, in sharp contrast to other economies struggling to control inflation. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says this is down to the US having a very efficient economy, a fact that's often overlooked. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com...

News anchor Huw Edwards has been named as the presenter at the centre of the BBC scandal. He's been outed by his wife, but London police claim there's no evidence Edwards paid a teenager for sexually explicit pictures.  Fellow British broadcaster Stewart Purvis says these revelations still raise plenty of questions. "Has the public opinion changed where we feel those are private matters? I think t...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been warned to show 'gratitude' by both the US and UK at the NATO summit. Zelenskyy expressed annoyance at the lack of a clear timeline for Ukraine to join the alliance, labelling the decision 'absurd'. Curtin University Associate Professor of National Security Alexey Muraviev says these regions were clearly 'telling off' Zelenskyy. "At some point in tim...

Questions are being raised over Te Whatu Ora's honesty regarding health targets.  Te Whatu Ora says they're treating 90 percent of cancer patients on time in the southern district, but letters sent out warn of delays. These letters claim the patients should expect to wait 12 weeks for their first appointment, 8 weeks over the national target. Cancer care advocate Melissa Vining says DHB management...

Tonight on The Huddle, Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett and independent journalist Clare de Lore joined in on a discussion about the following topics- and more! Chris Hipkins is still adamant that it was his handiwork in shutting down a potential wealth or capital gains tax. Does this prove Hipkins and Robertson aren't getting along? Huw Edwards has been named as the BBC presenter at...

Eden Park's CEO is confident the FIFA Women's World Cup will draw in the crowds. FIFA has announced it will give away 20,000 free tickets to the Women's World Cup matches hosted in New Zealand. Nick Sautner says 1.25 million tickets have been sold so far, and this event is tracking to be the biggest women’s sporting contest in the world. "The promotion in the last 24 hours- there was huge demand f...