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The Reserve Bank has left the OCR unchanged at 5.5 percent- and will keep it in place for the foreseeable future. Economists predict the RBNZ will hold the rate at its current level until early to mid 2024. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says the Reserve Bank now faces a difficult challenge of making the call as to how long they keep rates up. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.c...

Doubt today's latest political poll will be reflected in the election. The Taxpayers' Union- Curia poll has National just ahead at 33.3 percent - with Labour on 31. Support for Act is at 13.2 percent; the Greens, 8.9; and Te Pati Māori on 5 percent. On those figures, neither the left nor the right bloc could form a Government. But ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says on election nig...

Trade Me data shows the average salary for jobs listed has reached $70,000, a 6 percent increase on last year. Job listing have also declined significantly in the second quarter- they're down 15 percent from the first. Trade Me Jobs sales director Matt Tolich says this is down to an 'uncertain' economic environment. "We are in a recession, we've got an election coming up. With that causes some unc...

KiwiRail's CEO says they've taken all the necessary steps to prevent future safety issues. Waikato regional councillor Angela Strange hasn't ruled out seeking financial compensation following KiwiRail prohibiting Te Huia from operating in Auckland. CEO Peter Reidy says the train's failure to obey red signals on two occasions is a safety issue that needs correcting. "Because rails are connected to...

Yesterday, as Matt Heath was leaving this studio after The Huddle, I asked him if he was going to any FIFA Women’s World Cup games . He turned around and laughed and made an observation along the lines of - you can force people to do a lot of diversity stuff, but you can’t force them to buy tickets to entertainment . Isn’t that exactly right . The Government can force their agencies to fill half t...

US President Joe Biden raised some eyebrows by skipping dinner with the NATO leaders and returning to his hotel early. The White House later issued a statement saying the President was instead preparing for his upcoming speech to NATO. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Biden's had a mixed experience at the summit so far. "I think his reputation was bolstered a little by expanding the NATO block...

Hopes the Official Cash Rate has peaked for good. The Reserve Bank has today chosen to keep the OCR at 5.5 percent, the first time it hasn't risen since 2021. But the Monetary Policy Committee agrees it needs to remain restrictive to ensure inflation is driven down. Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr says they expect the OCR to remain at 5.5 percent into next year. "We're hopeful that inflation...

Survivors of the fatal Whakaari White Island eruption in 2019 have given evidence in court today. 22 people died and 25 were injured. WorkSafe has accused six parties of health and safety failures before the disaster. ZB justice reporter Chelsea Daniels is covering the trial. She says US honeymooners Matthew and Lauren Urey told their story today. "Lauren remembers hiding behind a rock where she k...

A former Greens senior staffer says the party should look to mop up votes from the the left-of centre who are disenfranchised by Labour's tax policy. The Greens unveiled a plan to tax assets last month but the Prime Minister today ruled out introducing a wealth tax while in office. David Cormack says Labour appears to want power for power's sake. He reckons this move could get them closer. "There...

The Springboks have made 10 changes for Saturday's test against the All Blacks at Auckland's Mt Smart stadium. Fit-again lock Eben Etzebeth is captain as the Springboks tap into the resources of the advance party sent over. Fullback Willie le Roux, centre Lukhanyo Am, props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe and hooker Bongi Mbonambi retain their places. ZB sport news director Clay Wilson explains...

The head of the Principals Association's backing the Ministry of Education's million dollar campaign that aimed to get kids back to school. Last August, Education Minister Jan Tinetti launched the million-dollar Every School Day Is a Big Day campaign. But documents released under the official information act show it wasn't "expected to have a direct, quantifiable impact on attendance rates in itse...

The lawyer for a young person at the centre of claims a BBC presenter paid them for sexual pictures is rubbishing the allegations. The Sun reported claims made by the person's mother that an un-named presenter paid the person over three years from when they were 17 - for sexual pictures. The lawyer says nothing inappropriate happened and the allegations in the Sun are rubbish. UK correspondent End...

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Radio Hauraki's Matt Heath joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The latest Talbot Mills corporate poll has the Labour Government down five percentage points to 31, and National up one point on 36. Is this the beginning of the end for Labour, or a one-off? The Dairy and Business Owners Group chair has s...

The Te Huia rail service that runs from Hamilton to Auckland has been banned from travelling north of Papakura. This follows multiple incidents of Kiwirail train drivers failing to obey signals, putting the train at risk of collision.  The Public Transport Users Association's Jon Reeves says this move will just encourage more commuters back into cars. "Who wants to get on a bus in a traffic jam in...

The Country's Jamie Mackay has given the Free Trade Agreement with the EU a middling mark. The agreement will eventually remove tariffs on 97 percent of goods exported - including onions, manuka honey, kiwifruit and wine. Jamie Mackay says it's not a flash agreement for meat and dairy farmers, as only small amounts can be exported before tariffs kick in. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Turkey has made a u-turn and agreed to support Sweden's bid to join NATO. The region had previously spent months blocking Sweden's attempt to gain a membership, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. One News Europe correspondent Mei Heron says there must be something that got Turkey over the line that hasn't been disclosed. "There must be something more to it. Only two days ago, the Turkish Pr...

The RBNZ is expected to leave the OCR untouched at 5.5 percent on Wednesday. The last time the Reserve Bank didn't raise the OCR at a formal review point was in August 2021. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says one NZIER expert predicted an increase, but he'd be surprised if went up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An agriculture advisory firm says the Emissions Trading scheme should be left untouched. Lewis Tucker & Co have penned an open letter to the Climate Change Minister asking that the ETS be left alone ahead of an upcoming review. Executive director Colin Jacobs is concerned the Government's creating uncertainty and potentially destabilising the ETS. "They're destabilising the ETS carbon markets...

Questions have been raised over how British retailers can get away with selling New Zealand-grown onions cheaper. Social media highlighted that New Zealand brown onions were selling for 95p ($1.69 NZD) a kilo at Tesco. In comparison, those same onions went for $2.99 a kilo at Countdown and $2.39 a kilo at Pak’n Save. Onions NZ CEO James Kuperus says that Tesco has to price-match Aldi and the rival...

The Dairy and Business Owners Group says shop owners should be allowed to defend themselves without being charged. Chair Sunny Kaushal spoke with Police Minister Ginny Andersen today. He says she was receptive to some suggestions. Kaushal says currently, people can be charged for injuring others while defending themselves. He says the threshold should be higher. "The Act has not been changed, and...

The trial relating to the fatal 2019 eruption of Whakaari began- White Island has heard Worksafe's opening statements today. Six parties are accused of health and safety failures before the eruption, which left 22 people dead and 25 injured. ZB reporter Chelsea Daniels has been at the trial. She says WorkSafe is accusing Whakaari Management Limited and its directors of essentially trying to outsou...

There are growing calls for Scott Morrison to resign from Parliament following the damning findings in the robodebt report. Morrison has stated he 'completely' rejects the adverse findings in the royal commission’s report, but several ministers are calling for him to step down. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Scott Morrison did nothing to ensure the robodebt scheme was legal. LISTEN ABOV...

The latest Talbot Mills figures show Labour has taken a nosedive. The poll has Labour down 5 percentage points points to 31, and National up 1 point on 36. This is the biggest recorded gap between Parliament's left and right wing blocs since 2017. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the gap is only going to widen between both parties between now and the election- there's clear malai...

Gary Stead can see the logic in New Zealand Cricket opting against a Black Caps split-coaching model beyond this year's 50-over World Cup. He will remain in charge across all formats after having his contract extended until June 2025. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vegan activist Tash Peterson has launched allegations of assault following an altercation outside Perth's Fyre restaurant. Peterson and several other protestors played audio of squealing pigs, leading to an aggressive physical confrontation with chef and owner John Mountain. She says the ongoing protests at the restaurant have nothing to do with the establishment's ban on vegans. LISTEN ABOVE See...