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Former president Donald Trump has been found liable of sexually abusing and defaming columnist E Jean Carroll. Trump has been ordered to pay her $5 million in damages but because this is a civil case, he won't serve jail time. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says this is unlikely to stop his plan to run for president in 2024, but Republican leaders will be concerned about the shadow cast by this v...

New Zealand investment into companies linked to deforestation has been trending upward in the last few months. According to research carried out by ethical investment charity Mindful Money, investment into companies known to contribute to deforestation has increased by 79 percent in one year. Mindful Money's report also shows that most of these investments are coming from KiwiSaver funds. Mindful...

The Commerce Commission is launching an investigation into potential breaches of the Fair Trade Agreement from retirement villages. This probe was inspired by several complaints from village residents and Consumer NZ about contract clauses deemed 'unfair' to retirees. Retirement Village Residents Association president Brian Peat says they're very pleased to be considered for a Commerce Commission...

Expect regular matches in Japan to be added to the New Zealand rugby calendar in the coming years. NZ Rugby and and the Japanese Rugby Football Union have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to explore strategic and commercial opportunities until 2027. Former Japanese coach Sir John Kirwan approves of this agreement, as Japan has an excellent economy and rugby community. "They have a good s...

Pak'nSave Porirua is being criticised for a Mother's Day giveaway of laundry liquid. Its' social media post advertising a giveaway with laundry liquid, laundry scent booster, air fresheners and chocolate is being labelled as misogynistic. Cory Ross, the Pak’nSave employee who wrote the post, told the Herald claims of the giveaway being misogynistic is 'ridiculous'. Massey University Marketing Prof...

First of all, good on Christopher Luxon for ruling out working with the Māori Party. Smart play, makes Te Pāti Māori exclusively Labour’s problem and makes it a lot easier for Luxon to frame the left, as he likes to dub it, as a coalition of chaos. Because between the antics of the Māori Party, the infighting of the Green Party and the troublesome ministers of the Labour Party, it looks pretty cha...

A shock development, with a murder trial over the death of a young Christchurch mother suddenly aborted. David Hawken, and Rebecca Wright-Meldrum, were appearing in the High Court in Christchurch, charged with murdering Angela Blackmoore. A four-week trial began last week, but Justice Cameron Mander today dismissed the jury. Herald journalist Kurt Bayer says the judge couldn't give details. "He to...

Local hāpu have been offering support after the death of a Whangārei High School student yesterday. Ngātiwai members were at the Abbey Caves last night where the boy died, and today visited the school. A rāhui's now been placed on the caves. The school opened today with a security presence, but other than issuing a statement, the principal isn't answering questions. Ngātiwai Trust Board Chief Exec...

Problems for Donald Trump if he wants to get nominated for President again. He's been found liable of sexually assaulting writer E Jean Carroll in a dressing room, and later defaming her. Former Republican National Convention Communications Director, Doug Heye, says women and independent voters won't want to associate with him. "What we need to learn is whether or not these Republicans who are run...

At age 5, Prince Louis has conducted his first royal engagement. The young prince joined the Prince and Princess of Wales and his siblings, Prince George and Princess Charlotte as part of The Big Help Out volunteering initiative.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says the royals were helping the 3rd Upton Scout Group in Slough to renovate their scout hut. Enda Brady says the photos of Prince Louis will...

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Jack Tame, host of Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  The Māori Party’s co-leaders were booted from the House by the Speaker after the pair led a haka for Meka Whaitiri that not every party agreed to. How much of a flop is this for The Māori Party? The new State Highway 25A bridg...

Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard will run as the ACT Party candidate for Rangitīkei. Hoggard announced he plans to step down from his role as Federated Farmers president, which he has held for three years. The Country's Jamie Mackay says there had been speculation and rumours going around for the past week ahead of today's announcement. Jamie Mackay says there's been a long history of Fe...

Credit bureau Centrix has teamed up with the country’s leading buy now, pay later providers to keep users out of financial trouble. PayWatch is a credit reporting system that will allow leading BNPL providers Afterpay, Zip and Laybuy to share overdue account data and flag borrowers behind on payments. Centrix chief operating officer Monika Lacey says PayWatch will enable buy now, pay later provide...

BusinessDesk's Pattrick Smellie is confident Meka Whaitiri's resignation won't increase the likelihood of a centre-left Government being elected come October. In a Businessdesk opinion piece, Pattrick Smellie argued that Meka Whaitiri's departure from Labour is just the latest of many challenges Chris Hipkins faces as election year progresses. He explained that even if Te Pāti Māori generated more...

Te Pāti Māori co-leaders were kicked out of Parliament’s debating chamber after conducting an unauthorised pōwhiri. The pōwhiri was meant to symbolically welcome Meka Whaitiri, who returned today as an independent MP after last week's shock resignation. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it appears Te Pāti Māori misled Speaker Adrian Rurawhe by informing him they had received per...

Australia's federal budget is projected to record the region's first budget surplus since 2008. Treasurer Jim Chalmers revealed that the 2022-2023 bottom line has reached surplus, despite an earlier projected deficit of $78 billion. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this surplus was generated by a boom in commodities, high employment figures and a surge in migration. "The revenue is going...

The fallout from One NZ's Jason Paris' Twitter outburst is still ongoing. A defamation case could be launched against Paris - who runs the club's naming rights sponsor - after accusing the referees of cheating during the loss to Penrith. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says it won't be a good idea for the NRL referees union to follow up on this. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

Certainty there is a case for investigating whether sexism is lowering teacher's pay. The Ministry of Education is looking into whether teachers are paid badly because of gender, a claim made by the Post Primary Teachers' Association and the Educational Institute. The majority of teachers are women with a base pay scale ranging from $51,000- $90,000 annually. New Zealand Work Research Institute as...

Whanau Ora's Chair is claiming Maori women are looked down upon in leadership positions. Whanau Ora believes Maori who are in leadership positions are deemed as bossy, for standing up for their community which is often under-represented. Commissioning Agency Chair Merepeka Raukawa-Tait says it's important cultural leaders advocate for their communities. "They should be able to work at all levels a...

A damaged part of the Coromandel's State Highway 25 will be rebuilt with a bridge- but getting it right means it won't be ready until next year. The new bridge will cost about $40 million, and work will start next month. It's a key link between the peninsula's east and west, but it was closed by a major slip in January. Thames-Coromandel mayor Len Salt says it's crucial to have an enduring replace...

Transport across Auckland has been affected by today's heavy rain, with congestion after flooding closing a number of roads. The region is under a State of Emergency. Waka Kotahi Auckland Regional Manager Jacqui Hori-Hault says it could be a long commute. "To those who do still need to travel tonight, we are warning that the traffic will be heavy across the network for some time, so we're just ask...

Rescuers have suspended the search for a student missing in Whangarei's Abbey Caves. A group from Whangarei Boys High School visited the cave and reported difficulties after severe weather this morning. Police say the search is expected to resume at first light tomorrow, and a cordon will remain in place. Northern Advocate reporter Brodie Stone says it's understood visibility is too low right now,...

Tell you what I'm getting quite sick of: c onstantly being told by Government ministers and people who want to be nice to criminals that crime is tracking down.    You hear it all the time . Every time someone pitches an idea for how to crack down on crime,  like the ACT Party with the juvenile detention centre idea yesterday, up pops a critic with a piece of data to tell you that there's nothing...

Civil Defence is opening its doors to people affected by heavy rain in Auckland, which is under a regional State of Emergency. It's opened Civil Defence Centres at Albany and Massey and there are community emergency hubs at Kumeu, Warkworth, Wellsford and Waiheke Island. Roads are closed across Auckland in Albany, Wainui, Manly, Mangere, Hillsborough, Mount Wellington, Coatesville and Warkworth. A...

The King has invited Britons to mark the UK's bank holiday by supporting causes in their communities. The Big Help Out is set to conclude the coronation festivities, and tens of thousands have registered to volunteer. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says The Prince and Princess of Wales, Princess Anne and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be among the thousands taking part. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.c...