Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The federal opposition and leading military experts are urging the Albanese Government to allow foreigners to enlist in the ADF. The Liberal Party have suggested that Pacific Islanders, New Zealanders and people from other nations including the US, UK and Japan be allowed to enlist to boost current staffing numbers. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says that the Canadian and American defen...

An Auckland Councillor says a new toll charge coming in north of the city is unfair. The Government is expected to slap it on a new $830 million Whangaparaoa arterial route, opening in 2026. The highway's expected to save 20 minutes of travel at peak times, but will cost light vehicles $3 during congested times, and $2 at off peak. Albany Ward Councillor John Watson says a lot has changed since th...

House prices are looking to settle over the next few months, and ANZ says that signs are showing that we’re getting close to the bottom of the market. ANZ’s Chief Economist Sharon Zollner says that once it hits the bottom, their forecasts show that prices will increase slowly, and a sudden skyrocket is unlikely. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions are rising about who'd get caught in a capital gains tax clawback. The Inland Revenue's wealth report showed that the wealthiest New Zealanders pay about half the tax an average earner does. Briscoes Group Managing Director, Rod Duke, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he thinks we're being softened up for a capital gains tax. He says a wide-ranging capital gains tax would catch everyone...

Dame Noeline Taurua’s coaching contract with the Silver Ferns is up in November, sparking questions about what’s next. Taurua is coaching the Ferns through both the World Cup and the Constellation Cup, but after that she says her plans are up in the air. She’s not certain where her future lies; whether she’ll continue coaching or if there’s something else out there for her. LISTEN ABOVE See omnyst...

There are still hopes that a national Erebus memorial will be ready in time for elderly family of those killed in the disaster to see it. The Culture and Heritage Ministry says flooding erosion means it can no longer be built in Auckland's Dove Myer Robinson Park. Deputy CEO of the Ministry of Culture and Heritage Glenis Philip-Barbara said that had the memorial been erected there, they wouldn’t h...

How much more of these hand gluing protests in Wellington are we going to tolerate? Especially now that we know how badly it’s tying up police resources.   We’ve just found out today that up to 10 police officers a re now dedicated to dealing with these protestors . Up to 10 police, between 7am and 9am daily , waiting to find out where the protest is, then responding quickly to get them off the ro...

Teachers across the UK have begun their 5th day of national strikes for 2023, with more planned for the coming days. The region's National Education Union (NEU) have rejected the Government's latest pay offer, labeeling it 'insulting'. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this wave of strikes has made it harder to motivate children to stay focused on school. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Tonight on The Huddle, Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett and Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following topics- and more! Chris Hipkins delivered his pre-budget election speech today, focusing on reducing Government spending, ruling out new taxes and directing spending to boost New Zealand's economic productivity. Did it sound like it could have come from a Nati...

New Zealand's next election is fast approaching, and next year the focus will be on America's election. An expert from Fisher Funds says geopolitical events can give investors plenty of reasons to be concerned, and looking at history can indicate how to proceed.  Sam Dickie of Fisher Funds explained it's impossible to construct a long-term portfolio based around politics or elections, citing the m...

The India NZ Business Council has released information suggesting New Zealand has more work to do before establishing a trade deal with India. According to a new report from the INZBC, New Zealand will be better off building an initial relationship with India first before leading with a trade deal. Senior business correspondent Dileepa Fonseka says the growing insistence on setting up an FTA may h...

Federated Farmers Vice President Wayne Langford has accused Greenpeace of spreading 'harmful misinformation' about the link between nitrates and colorectal cancer. Langford says Greenpeace are 'preying on people’s fear of cancer to push an anti-farming agenda' and states that the organisation isn't qualified to make these claims. The Country's Jamie Mackay agrees with Wayne Langford in that Greenp...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins delivered his pre-budget speech and experts are comparing aspects of it to National's campaign promises. Hipkins talked about reducing Government spending, highlighted strong immigration numbers and ruled out introducing a capital gains tax. The Prime Minister also promised spending would be directed to boost economic productivity, with skills, science and infrastructu...

NZ Rugby has reported a financial loss of over $47 million for 2022. NZR chief financial officer Jo Perez said NZR’s commercial revenue reached a record high of $271 million in 2022, up 43 percent from $189 million in 2021. The financial statements report expenditure also went up from $183 million in 2021 to $318 million. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained what went wrong for NZ in 2022....

AA says newer highways built from 2009 onwards have delivered a 37 percent reduction in deaths and serious injuries. AA analysis confirms the percentage takes into account crashes on older roads, which also tend to experience reductions when new highways open. Research foundation manager Dylan Thomsen says  it shows the safety benefits of investment in new roading infrastructure. "There's also goi...

A senior tax director predicts the Government will propose a capital gains tax and take it to the election. An Inland Revenue report released yesterday found the average earner is taxed at more than double the rate of New Zealand's wealthiest. Andrew Dickeson from Baker Tilly Staples Rodway suspects the Government will introduce a broad tax on capital, but it risks running the rich out of New Zeal...

National should be sweating, because Chris Hipkins is stealing their lines.  That is what struck me listening to his pre-budget speech today . His speech could’ve been delivered by the leader of the National Party . It was in front of a business audience.   He took a crack at the last Government- as if he wasn’t actually a part of Jacinda’s Government- saying “The reality is the Government was pre...

The Property Investors Foundation says current rental market rules are tipped too heavily towards tenants. The National Party has made an election promise to reintroduce no reason evictions and to reduce the Bright Line test down to two years instead of ten. It's also pledging to restore interest deductibility to rental properties. Property Investors' Federation President Sue Harrison says not hav...

A road safety advocate is applauding Wellington's proposed speed limit slash. The City Council today voted to consult on cutting speed limits to 30 kilometres an hour on most roads, including those near schools and play centres. Lucinda Rees from NZ School Speeds says it's a beneficial policy and the Council should get on with approving it. "Children should have the opportunity to walk and cycle s...

The Prime Minister is being praised for a "business friendly" pre-budget speech. Chris Hipkins says the Government will deliver a no-frills Budget, balancing restraint with funding the basics on May 18. He's ruled out introducing a capital gains or wealth tax, and bringing in a cyclone levy to fund the recovery. Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Simon Bridges says it provides certainty. "I...

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins today delivered his first speech ahead of the Budget on May 18. Today's speech was used to rule out extra taxes, including a predicted wealth tax following the IRD report and a cyclone levy to cover the damage inflicted by Cyclone Gabrielle. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Chris Hipkins has promised his business audience  a no-frills budget before...

The Australian Government is set to overhaul its immigration system to speed up getting highly skilled workers into the country. It comes after a recent review found the existing immigration system is broken and not fit for purpose. The federal Labor Government is set to modify the system so it'll identify people with the correct skill sets the Australian economy needs. Australian correspondent Mu...

Concerns over how long medicine funding applications take to be processed by Pharmac. A new report found it takes an average of nearly eight years to be funded here, with a six-year average wait time for applications on the Options for Investment list. It also found more than 60 percent of medicines were known to be publicly funded in at least five other countries. Medicines New Zealand chief exec...

A second evacuation flight has rescued more UK nationals from war-torn Sudan. This flight touched down in Larnaca earlier today, according to Cyprus’s foreign ministry. From there, the rescued citizens will catch a charter flight back to the UK. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it's still unknown how many people were on this second flight, but it's estimated that roughly 250 people were flown to C...

Tonight on The Huddle, Newstalk ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills and Jack Tame, host of ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following topics:  Is it fair that over 300 of New Zealand's wealthiest pay a tax rate of 9.4 and middle income earners pay 20.2 percent? What might the Government plan to do with this IRD report?  Joe Biden has confirmed he's up for r...