Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The latest TVNZ Kantar opinion poll would see a National - ACT Government. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says unlike earlier recent polls, the Maori Party wouldn't hold the balance of power. He says this poll has the centre right winning four more seats than the centre left. The National Party's climbed 3 points since the last poll to a rating of 37 percent, and Labour's down 1 to...

Nearly 30,000 patients are about to receive letters asking if they still need their elective surgeries. Te Whatu Ora is contacting people who have been waiting longer than four months. General Practice New Zealand Chair Bryan Betty says it's to get an accurate assessment of which people are still in limbo. "So they don't seem to have the accurate numbers, they wanted to make sure their numbers are...

The Reserve Bank and economists are at odds over interest rate predictions. The Official Cash Rate was lifted 25 basis points yesterday to 5.5 percent, and Governor Adrian Orr expects that's its peak. But economists from at least two major retail banks refuse to back down on forecasts of more increases. Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold says our population is expected to grow about 2.5 percent...

Tributes continue to flow in for rock' n roll icon Tina Turner. The eight-time Grammy Award-winning singer and actress, has died in Switzerland aged 83, after a long illness. LA Entertainment reporter Sam Rubin says Turner and her music meant a lot to people. "There's a reason why we have heard from everybody, and most recently Beyoncé herself. Because Tina Tuner really mattered, and she mattered...

Did anyone else in the last 24 hours wonder whether Adrian Orr was butt-covering for Grant Robertson yesterday?   Adrian Orr went out of his way yesterday to defend the Government’s budget.  He made a point of saying the Budget was a friend, not a foe to his fight against inflation . And for the first time in a year and a half, he said there were no more hikes coming, which frankly shocked us all...

Survivors drugged and sexually assaulted at Christchurch's Mama Hooch Bar will confront their attackers at sentencing in August. Brothers Danny and Roberto Jaz can now be named publicly as the rapists, with almost 70 convictions between them. A High Court judge today lifted name suppression orders in place since 2018. The Herald's Anna Leask says more than 20 survivors gave evidence which led to t...

Nearly 30,000 patients waiting for elective operations are expecting letters from Te Whatu Ora- asking if they still need surgery. Te Whatu Ora says the purpose of these letters is to collect up-to-date data and reassure patients, but doctors fear they will load more stress onto patients and GPs.  ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the people expecting letters would have been waiti...

Heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker has delivered a first-round technical knock-out win against Faiga  ‘Django’ Opelu in Melbourne. The result is the 31-year-old's first stoppage victory since February 2020, six bouts ago. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains the factors that contributed to Joseph Parker's victory here. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extinction Rebellion has launched a new campaign designed to reduce pollution and congestion. The 'End Urban SUVs' campaign calls for people to put emissions rating stickers on SUVs spotted around the Auckland region. Extinction Rebellion activist Caril Cowan says something needs to be done about the high-polluting vehicles in Auckland. "They're not needed to get us around an urban environment, ta...

The UK's inflation rate has fallen to 8.7 percent, from 10.1 percent in March. It's the first time inflation in the UK has dipped below 10 percent since August 2022. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this figure is below the 8.2 percent figure that economists had predicted. Gavin Grey explained that energy prices have slowed and the hikes are temporarily over, but prices aren't coming down anytime...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  Police Minister Ginny Andersen today conceded the increase in crime is not just down to more reporting, a contrast to Sunday's claims that a new app was contributing to rising crime figures. Is this gaslightin...

The Reserve Bank today hiked the OCR up further, citing high inflation for the move.  The cash rate has been lifted 0.25 basis points to 5.5 percent, and Governor Adrian Orr says rates will need to stay elevated to ensure inflation gets back below 3 percent. Milford Asset Management analyst Katlyn Parker says holding rates to this level while forecasting negative growth and rising unemployment is...

The Reserve Bank has indicated today's cash rate increase is the peak of the OCR. The RBA hiked the official cash rate today by 25 basis points to 5.5 percent and revealed it will remain evaluated for the foreseeable future.  NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr is downplaying the impact of Budget 2023 on inflation. Jenee Tibshraeny explained...

The Reserve Bank lifted the OCR by 25 basis points today to the anticipated peak of 5.5 percent. The RBA warns that the OCR will need to stay elevated for the foreseeable future, to ensure inflation gets back below 3 percent. Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr later said today's decision shouldn't impact mortgage rates, as banks should have already priced these OCR hikes in. ZB senior political corr...

National have admitted to using AI to generate people in their attack ads. Fabricated images of smiling nurses, crime scenes and the cast of Fast and Furious have shown up in National's promotional material. Psychologist and AI commentator Dr Paul Duignan says we've moved into a new world where anything can be fabricated, and National are the first to utilise that. "The problem for the political p...

Napier Port is reporting a slight drop in half year profits, thanks to Cyclone Gabrielle. Net profits have fallen 3.3 percent in the six months ended March compared with a year ago, to $8.7 million. Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson says Cyclone Gabrielle 'took the shine' off what would have otherwise been a solid result for the first half-year. "Napier Port itself didn't suffer too much damage from the...

Our Police Commissioner says it's difficult to quantify whether total crime's gone up. The number of assaults on police staff has jumped from 631 in 2021 to more than 1000 last year. Police Commissioner Andrew Coster says what's clear is that reported crime has gone up - but it's more than that. "Proportional to that is an increase in actual crime, and a proportion of that is changes in the report...

The SPCA is offering half price adoptions to try and clear its overflowing shelters. Staff report they cannot afford to look after every single animal currently in their care. Chief Executive Robyn Kiddle say they have 20 percent more animals in care than at this time last year. "In April, we had 2500 incoming animals and only 1800 adoptions going out, it's unbalanced." LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystud...

A Miami zoo has cancelled their kiwi encounter attraction after a social media outcry. In a video the zoo posted to social media, a kiwi was shown being handled by visitors under bright lights. Experts were worried exposure to fluorescent lights would be harmful for the bird's eyesight, as kiwis are nocturnal. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the zoo's communications director has since apologi...

Another New Zealand rugby star has swapped codes to play across the Tasman. Tyla Nathan-Wong from the Black Ferns Sevens has been released from her NZ Rugby contract to sign on with the St George-Illawarra Dragons. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says Tyla Nathan-Wong's departure opens up opportunities for other rugby players to spread their wings and earn more money. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio...

A woman is adamant she spotted Mike Zhao-Beckenridge and his stepfather in Bali - three months after they disappeared. The pair vanished from the Catlins in March 2015, and John Beckenridge's car was found in the sea below a cliff, but no bodies were present. ZB journalist Courtney Winter says the traveller to Bali has told the Coroner's court today she has no doubts she saw the pair there. "She s...

Only some mortgage holders should feel the effects of another Official Cash Rate hike. The Reserve Bank has lifted the OCR by 25 basis points today to 5.5 percent, which is the anticipated peak. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says it will be passed on to consumers, although maybe only for floating mortgage rates. Brad Olsen says today's news is a bit of a relief for mortgage holders or...

Fears slashing jobs at Victoria University jobs could force tertiary sector standards to slip. The Wellington university is proposing to cut up to 260 jobs, in the face of a $33 million deficit. Tertiary Education Union National President Julie Douglas, says the cuts are no good. "What our focus is on is the quality output of good, well-educated graduates. And I think what we're risking here is th...

A lot of Kiwis are going to be relieved to hear that that Miami zoo has immediately called off any more public encounters with the kiwi bird they've got over there. The kiwi's been put back into darkness, they say. It's now out of the fluorescent lights it was under and it's not going to be cuddled and stroked by visitors anymore. The zoo has apologised for doing this, saying they are deeply sorry...

Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann will carry out searches at a Portuguese reservoir. German police requested the search, as the area was visited by formal suspect Christian Brueckner when Madeleine vanished. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the German police are adamant they have the right suspect in their sights. Enda Brady theorised that the police involved are working f...