Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A leading economist says although it's shallow and technical, New Zealand is nonetheless in a recession. Stats NZ figures out today reveal GDP fell 0.1 percent in the March quarter- a second negative quarter of growth. Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr says there are still bumps in the road ahead. "We see contractions in the economy well before we see businesses laying off staff. And our busine...

It's official- New Zealand has entered a 'technical recession'. Newly released figures from Stats NZ show the GDP fell 0.1 percentage points from last quarter, following a drop in the December quarter. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says the destruction from the Auckland floods and Cyclone Gabrielle were chief contributors. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says New Zealand's exper...

Disgraced former SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith labelled his recent defamation case defeat a 'terrible outcome'. Roberts-Smith unsuccessfully sued three Australian newspapers for defamation over allegations he had committed war crimes. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Roberts-Smith is looking at filing an appeal, but he's not in a position to comment further. "The newspapers' allegati...

A massive meth haul destined for our shores has been stopped in its tracks. About 713 kilograms concealed in maple syrup bottles came in from Canada with a street value of $250 million. The same group tried importing six tonnes into Australia. Detective Superintendent Greg Williams says this isn't the first time they've seen drug trafficking groups out of Canada targeting New Zealand. "In 2-19, we...

The UK economy has bounced back and escaped recession- but only just. The region's GDP increased by 0.2 percent, following the 0.3 contraction recorded in March. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says estate agents, builders, and computer manufacturers have suffered over the last few months, but the hospitality sector has grown. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett 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! Auckland Transport's Chief Executive and Wellington Regional Council say they won't be ready to offer under-25s public transport discounts by the Government's July deadline. Is this a sign the 2023 Bud...

GDP figures due to be released Thursday will confirm whether or not the country entered a technical recession. Opinions are divided, with ANZ forecasting a 0.2 increase, ASB forecasting a 0.1 increase and the Reserve Bank forecasting a 0.3 increase. But BNZ predicts GDP will decline 0.2 percent and Westpac expects a 0.4 percent drop. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says it doesn't matte...

Auckland Airport have revised their dividend policy and reduced their payouts to shareholders. The airport will pay out 70 percent to 90 percent of net profit after tax, instead of 100 percent. Milford Asset Management portfolio manager Mark Riggall says Auckland Airport has an 'ambitious' infrastructure plan, and it needs to pull some levers to fund it. "They've also hiked their prices and they m...

The International Money Fund is warning the Government to rein in spending. S&P Global Ratings is also saying the country's near-record trade deficit remains a “key credit risk” for New Zealand. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says the Government did a lot to stimulate the economy during Covid-19, creating more demand for imports. "What we saw was demand for imports shot...

Latest figures show New Zealand's current account deficit is $33 billion- 8.5 percent of GDP- in the year to March. That's down from $34.4 billion- or nine percent of GDP- in the year to December. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the current account deficit comes down to exports and that New Zealand is exporting more than it's importing. "For the IMF to come out and say that we'v...

The Government have walked back empty-handed from the latest carbon auction- creating a $500 million shortfall. Polluters had the option to purchase the 'rights' to produce units to offset their emissions. The Government could have earned $512 million by selling the 8.95m carbon units on offer, double the usual amount after losing the March auction. Climate Change Minister James Shaw explained tha...

The Greater Wellington Regional Council fears transport discounts will have to be delayed an extra month. In Budget 2023, it was announced half price public transport would be axed from July, but continue for under 25s and be free for kids under 13. Greater Wellington Regional Councillor Thomas Nash says there's no online age verification system, and the Capital will need extra time to implement o...

A Kiwi dad has bought his first car for a second time - 22 years later. Andre Hawke sold his brown 1978 Holden Kingswood in 2001, for $2500 dollars. In 2021, he found his copy of the original owner’s manual and posted a picture of the car on social media, asking if anyone knew its whereabouts. Hawke says within two hours he'd located the new owner, and two years later he paid $50,000 to get it bac...

The Prime Minister's confident he'll find common ground with farmers over He Waka Eke Noa, but has stopped short of promising it pre-election. He Waka Eke Noa is the Government sector group tasked with pricing agricultural emissions, meant to kick in from 2025. Chris Hipkins today ruled out a fertiliser tax after opposition from the industry, saying he wants instead to make the emissions scheme wo...

Anger from motorists on State Highway 2 in the Bay of Plenty while police shut roads to contain a gang procession to a tangi in Whakatane. Members driving to the crematorium were seen hanging out of cars, yelling and barking and driving on the wrong side of the road. Police say they stopped offending vehicles and collected footage- and could impound vehicles, or issue infringements or charges. Bay...

A historic day for the US, with Donald Trump appearing before in a Miami courtroom pleading not guilty to 37 charges. They relate to the former President's handling of sensitive classified documents after he left office, including information on military and nuclear capabilities. Trump is claiming President Joe Biden had him arrested on fabricated charges for political reasons, as his rival. US co...

Despite the price of goods and services rising sharply, new data confirms high business profits aren't the cause of inflation. A study commissioned by BusinessNZ and Sense Partners found that profit margins were lower than pre-Covid figures. Sense Partners economist Shamubeel Eaqub says the data speaks for itself- 'greedflation' is not to blame. "What we've seen is our farmers, our manufacturers,...

It must’ve sucked to be a police officer in Ōpōtiki today, having to provide traffic control for the Mongrel Mob so they could have total uninterrupted use of the road for the funeral procession. That must’ve been a really cool experience for our officers , providing an escort to a bunch of people who probably deserve to see the inside of a jail cell , rather than getting waved through like VIPs o...

Over 600 migrants crossed the English Channel earlier this week- the highest number reported this year. The previous daily high for this year was 497 migrants on April 22. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the UK Government has set itself targets to reduce migration through the Channel, so these figures will be concering. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ben Thomas from Ben Thomas PR and Former Labour Chief of Staff and Director at Mike Munro Communications, Mike Munroe joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! 2degrees founder Tex Edwards says police are too busy to deal with his stolen Lexus and he's put out a $5000 reward for the return of the car- does that point to a wider problem that o...

Australian economists see a higher risk of recession after soft Q1 GDP report. RBA Governor Philip Lowe has talked about navigating a narrow path to lower inflation while keeping unemployment down for the past year- but his tone has changed. The central bank surprised markets by raising rates and warned it could tighten again to reduce inflation, even at the cost of preserving jobs. HSBC Chief Eco...

Fieldays 2023, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest agricultural event, returns to Mystery Creek tomorrow. From Wednesday to Saturday, politicians will be turning up to appeal to rural voters, with National already promising a u-turn on emission charging. The Country's Jamie Mackay predicts ACT's David Seymour will be the star of Fieldays 2023, because ACT may have given National a nudge. LISTEN ABOV...

Fieldays 2023 opens its gates tomorrow- and National is fighting hard for the rural and regional vote. National's new policy for the agriculture sector would see farmers paying for their emissions in 2030 instead of 2025. Federated Farmers have voiced their approval with this policy, with former president Andrew Hoggard giving it "5 stars". BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says Nation...

The driver of yesterday's fatal wedding bus crash in Hunter Valley has been granted bail. 58-year-old Brett Andrew Button was released with strict conditions, after appearing in court this morning. 10 people died in the crash, and 25 more were injured. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Button's bail conditions require him to be home from 8pm to 6am and to surrender his passport. His li...

Former All Black Marc Ellis is taking an ownership stake in one of his former Super Rugby sides. Ellis, who played 11 games for the Highlanders in 2000 after a double-international sporting career across union and league heads a group to take a portion of the franchise. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.