Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Royal New Zealand Air Force has reported observing breaches of UNSC sanctions against North Korea during patrol missions. The P-8A Poseidon flew 11 missions to detect and deter evasions of UN during April and May - and allegations of illegal ship-to-ship transfers have surfaced. RNZAF No. 5 Squadron Commanding Officer Mark Whiteside says they detected multiple transfers that could potentially contain banned goods, such as oil or coal. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ is calling on banks to refund people targeted by scams. The watchdog launched a petition and campaign urging the Government and other agencies to better reduce harm for scam victims. Campaign manager Jessica Walker says Governments in places like the UK, Australia, and Singapore have made moves to protect people. "So what we're asking our Government is just to do the same - to offer New Zealanders the same protection so we are no longer at the mercy of these cyber criminals." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission says the delay in companies dropping the cost of petrol when company costs fall is costing Kiwi motorists $15 million a year. It's warning fuel companies it'll be watching prices when Auckland's regional fuel tax kicks in next month. AA principal policy advisor Terry Collins says petrol companies will be acting quickly come July to avoid further criticism. "I've been talking to contacts within the industry, and they're very keen to ensure that the Auckland motorists get their full 11.5 cents - one of the large majors has got a big team who are trying to get it done by midnight." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Climate Change Minister says plans to reduce agricultural emissions must be balanced with maintaining New Zealand's production. The Government plans to change the law in order to to stop farming being charged with credit offsets through the Emissions Trading Scheme. It was the fallback plan if partnership group He Waka Eka Noa couldn't find an alternative way to charge agriculture. He Waka Eke Noa will be replaced and Simon Watts says he's committed to pricing agricultural emissions by 2030. "We want that to be industry and farmer-led, because our farmers are some of the most carbon-efficient farmers in the world." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A baby boy's previous injury will be re-investigated after he died on Saturday in Waikato's Te Kūiti. Police say 10-month-old Mustafa Ali had suffered violent blunt-force trauma that didn't appear accidental. They say he suffered another non-accidental injury in October. Detective Inspector Graham Pitkethley says he's working to investigate the inconsistencies found within prior statements. "Like anything in these tragic situations, we will go back and have a look to see if there was anything else that could have been done." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has confirmed the coalition will not set a 2030 emissions reduction target before the next election. Dutton claimed the coalition was committed to net zero by 2050, but refused to reveal any interim targets. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says both parties have underestimated the challenges of implementing renewable energy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warriors halfback Shaun Johnson will make his return from a pectoral muscle injury in Saturday night's game against the Melbourne Storm. Coach Andrew Webster has today confirmed he's ready to play this weekend. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks today's announcement. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Authorities in Waikato have upped efforts to find the three children of missing Marokopa man Tom Phillips. An $80,000 reward has been posted for anyone with information, with a warrant out for Phillips' arrest. Acting Detective Inspector Andrew Saunders suspects other people are assisting Phillips - and hopes the reward and immunity will draw them out. "That's one of the reasons why we put this reward up for a limited period of time, to encourage those people to come forward." LIASTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here’s some good news for farmers on the eve of Fieldays - they will not have to pay for their emissions.The Government's announced it’s taking agriculture back out of the ETS, which is where it’s always been until the last Labour Government put it in there.And outside is where it should always be, because the idea of putting a climate tax on farmers who provide the food we need to survive is crazy. The idea is so crazy that, as far as I can tell, no other country in the world has done it.Now, Labour’s threat to farmers was - you’re in the ETS unless you find another way to pay for your emissions. So there will likely be an expectation that farmers will still have to find that other way. And frankly, I hope they don’t have to. I hope we just give up on this, because making farmers pay to grow the food we need to survive is absolutely nuts. I'm not having an argument about whether climate change is real or not, because of course it's real. And I'm also not having an argument about whether we should make an effort to reduce emissions. If we can, of course we should, within reason. But I am prepared to argue about how far you take that idea. I think that idea was taken too far. When Labour put farmers in the ETS, it had gone too far - because the natural end point of that was that it would add another cost to farming that would cause our farmers to farm fewer animals. That would therefore produce less meat and milk, therefore feeding fewer humans and making our country poorer by selling less to the world. When you get to that endpoint - that's crazy. For a moment there, we got absolutely carried away with the conviction that climate change was the most important thing we were dealing with. Let's get this straight, it is not. It doesn't trump everything else that we are doing. I would argue feeding children is more important, educating children is more important and heating up homes in the winter is more important.Thank goodness for this announcement, because it is absolutely correcting our priorities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Far-right parties have rattled traditional powers in the European Union following recent parliamentary elections. French President Emmanuel Macron has called a snap election after exit polls put Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party well ahead of pro-European centrists. Meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany party is in second place in their vote, ahead of centre-left Social Democrats - with the Conservatives in the lead by a distance. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says increased concerns about immigration have helped these parties get ahead. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The owners of toy company Zuru have been named New Zealand's wealthiest people, the first change to the top spot in 20 years. This year's NBR Rich List saw Mat and Nick Mowbray bump packaging, property and investment magnate Graeme Hart from number one. NBR co-editor Hamish McNicol says the pair have openly planned to become the next Google or Tesla. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has revealed Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit New Zealand later this week. This will be the first significant visit by one of the nation's largest trading partners in over seven years. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan explains what this visit means for the future of business optimism regarding New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has called on the Public Service Commission to investigate claims of misuse of election data. Te Pati Māori's been accused of copying information obtained during Covid vaccination drives, and for enrolling people for last year's census, and using it persuade people to vote for them in the 2023 election. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the allegations against Te Pati Māori cut to the heart of democracy in New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 10 June 2024, Trade Minister Todd McClay tells Heather the Chinese Premier Li Qiang will come to New Zealand this week - the first visit since 2017. The Government has asked the Public Services Commission to launch an independent investigation into allegations of illegal data sharing from census and vaccine data involving Te Pati Maori and Manurewa Marae. Finance Minister Nicola Willis explains why this is the best way to deal with it. Another baby has died, believed to be fatally injured in their home. Heather asks why we're not more angry. Plus, the Huddle debates whether you should text before you call someone. Yes! The answer is yes! Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Chinese Premier Li Qiang is set to visit New Zealand later this week. Is this good news for the country? Oil and gas exploration is back on the table, as Minister Shane Jones has confirmed the ban will be revered later this year. Will investors return - or is it too late for New Zealand? The police have launched a homicide investigation after a 10-month-old baby boy died in Waikato. Have we gotten too used to hearing about these kinds of deaths? How do we feel about unexpected phone calls? Should people always text first beforehand? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says the planned independent inquiry into Te Pati Māori's data use is important for everyone. It's been alleged information collected at Manurewa Marae was used to help the party's election campaign, which Te Pati Māori denies. Minister Nicola Willis says it's important to ensure Government agencies have the proper processes in place to protect people's information. "In this case, the Te Pati Maori allegations, the allegations of Manurewa Marae - they all relate to New Zealanders' personal information." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand has stopped flights between Auckland and New Caledonia's Nouméa for the next few months. The airline will look to resume flights at the end of September. The decision comes amid ongoing uncertainty in the island nation following political unrest. House of Travel chief operating officer Brent Thomas says it isn't a major destination for New Zealanders. "Having said that, there'll be a few hundred people who are interrupted - they were expecting to have a holiday in the sun through our winter, but will no longer be able to make it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A debate about the unwritten rules of café etiquette has surfaced after an incident in Napier. Reporter Mark Story was asked to leave Napier café Smiths, after being told he hadn't spent enough to stay longer than an hour. Kiwi restaurateur Martin Bosley says different establishments are likely to have different house rules. "I think it's common sense... if the place is empty, if there's no one around, you're not casing any problems, it'd be absolutely fine. Cafés want people in them." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report into witness reliability in Scott Watson's second attempt before the Court of Appeal has been challenged by the Crown. Watson was found guilty of murdering friends Ben Smart and Olivia Hope in 1999. The pair were last seen getting off a water taxi onto a yacht in the Marlborough Sounds on New Year's Eve. Open Justice reporter Catherine Hutton says the report presented as evidence by the defence today argues many witness accounts were unreliable in his trial. Meanwhile the Crown responded, saying there were many holes in the contents of the report. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm starting to get a little bit nervous about whether we are ever going to be able to attract overseas investors back into our oil and gas industry.I mean, you think about it - the world has known since October last year that we were back open for business, because that’s when the coalition Government won the election. From there, it was clear that all three parties wanted to reverse the oil and gas ban. Since October, the world knew things were going to change in New Zealand.But from what I can tell, no one is interested in coming here to do the work. And frankly, if no one has registered an interest in 9 months, I think we might need to start getting realistic about this.It's probably over, the ship has sailed. You can sort of tell by the language that Shane Jones is using that he might know this too - he's talking about trying to make it more appealing for investors to come back by giving them really long-term contracts. It's almost desperate stuff, and I suspect it's because he can see no one’s nibbling after nine months.And why would they?Labour has already raised the prospect that they are open to nixing projects again once they get back in. Investors around the world will see that - and who wants to put billions of dollars of investment in to have Labour come and ban your business again? So what this means is that, short of a miracle and some overseas investor taking a punt on us, we are probably gonna have make do with what we’ve got. And that’s not a good prospect.Our gas is running out faster than we thought it would, we’re facing lights out this winter because of a gas shortage. We have been warned about this.It seems to me - and I'm sorry to say this - that Huntly is going to be a very busy girl burning that coal for a long time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trade Minister says it's important for the nation to strengthen its economic relationship with China. Earlier today, Prime Minister Luxon announced Chinese Premier Li Qiang will visit New Zealand later this week. Minister Todd McClay says since the change in Government, there's been an increase in contact and engagement with China. "$40 billion worth of two-way trade, that's very important for us to keep that relationship open and keep talking." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former federal treasurer and Nine Entertainment chair Peter Costello has resigned after he was accused of assaulting a journalist at Canberra airport. Costello was accused of pushing a News Corp journalist after he refused to answer questions about the embattled media company. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Costello has denied the assault and claimed the journalist fell over. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps are in a tough spot following their disappointing start to the T20 World Cup. The team have entered must-win territory ahead of game two against the West Indies on Thursday, following their 84-run defeat by Afghanistan in Guyana. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains that the Black Caps are facing a historic loss if Thursday doesn't go well. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has claimed oil and gas exploration is necessary to address energy security issues - but it's unlikely to attract overseas investors. Resources Minister Shane Jones yesterday confirmed the ban on petroleum exploration beyond onshore Taranaki will be reversed in the coming months. Energy Resources Aotearoa Chief Executive John Carnegie says bringing in overseas investment is going to be a 'long-term effort'. "We've only seen details in the press release, so we have to be slightly more patient to see what comes through in the legislation." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 7 June 2024, Australia has gone back on its word and will re-start deporting Kiwi criminals who spent the majority of their lives in Australia. Doctors are warning they're seeing more cases of nitrous oxide induced health problems as people use the gas as a cheap high - available from the dairy. Real life Martha is taking the Baby Reindeer maker Netflix to court. Californian lawyer Joseph Tully tells Heather whether she has a shot. Plus Heather's very own experience with the nangs - don't try this at home kids! Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The woman who claims to be the inspiration behind Netflix’s Baby Reindeer is suing them for at least NZ$274m. Scottish woman Fiona Harvey first announced she was the inspiration behind Martha, the main character’s stalker, in May. Criminal lawyer Joseph Tully told Heather du Plessis-Allan “The defence by Netflix will be that they told the truth.” Tully said “We’re going to have a real-life drama play out before our eyes.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The European Union Election runs Thursday to Sunday. They're held every five years across the 27-member bloc. This year marks the 10th parliamentary election since the first polls in 1979, and the first after Brexit. The vote takes place from 6-9 June. Initial results can only be revealed on the evening of 9 June, once polling stations have closed in all member states. UK Correspondent Gavin Grey told Heathe du Plessis-Allan “It’s the second-biggest democratic election in the world, after India.” Grey said “We are expecting this result to come in favour of potentially far-right partes – in France Belgium and Italy.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 240 seats in the 543-member lower house of parliament – not enough to form a government. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners won a further 53 seats to drag the coalition over the line. Modi has kept a dominant presence in Indian politics for the past decade - with outright majorities in previous elections. Asia Business Correspondent Peter Lewis told Heather du Plessis-Allan “This is not a bad thing at all – despite the panic we saw in the Indian financial markets.” Lewis said “The government we’re getting now, is not going to look that much different from what we saw before the election.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Pāti Māori is asking Police to lead an urgent investigation of allegations made against the Party. It denies claims Census information collected at Manurewa Marae was used in electioneering. The Electoral Commission, Stats NZ and Police are investigating - and the Privacy Commissioner is looking into the claims. Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan “Te Pāti Māori have come out, fists flailing, to say we’ve got nothing to hide” Soper said the only way to clear this matter up, is by looking into it. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ANZ Bank has changed its official cash rate (OCR) forecast, now expecting the first cut to arrive in February, rather than May 2025. Meanwhile, The European Central Bank has cut interest rates for the first time in five years, and the Bank of Canada has become the first G7 nation to cut rates. ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner told Heather du Plessis-Allan “Essentially the Reserve bank’s mandate is to get inflation under control.” Zollner said “It’s the mix of inflation that matters – oil price is the biggie, which they can’t influence. But homegrown inflation is very slow to fall.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight, on the Sports Huddle with Andrew Gourdie & Matt Brown: The future of Super Rugby Playoffs Newshub Sports Presenter Andrew Gourdie told Heather du Plessis Allan “I prefer to have a top six, give the top two a week off, three through six playoff, then semifinal.” Gourdie said “The competition bosses would like to get an extra week out of this – a bit more money, more bums on seats.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a recent NCEA literacy exam, Year 10 students were asked to read four memes and discuss which two had the most similar underlying themes. Sociolinguist Julia de Bres told Heather du Plessis-Allan “I was extremely surprised and delighted by this development.” De Bres said “You can think of memes as ‘static images’ - ads, and cartoons have been around for a while.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's Immigration Minister Andrew Giles issued ‘Direction 110’ on Friday, which means non-citizens with violent criminal records can be deported, even if they'd lived their whole lives in the country. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says "it's just not right". Australian Correspondent Murray Olds told Heather du Plessis Allan “This is Politics 101, and Labour’s only got itself to blame.” Olds said “Let’s be honest: it’s not about parking tickets – it's about serious criminals – rapists, sex abusers, murderers for God’s sake.” Old said "These are the people that Australia doesn't want... where are we going to take them? Send them back to New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The police have been referred to an investigation into National MP for New Plymouth David MacLeod's failure to report $178,394 in donations. MacLeod - a backbench MP - unveiled this last month, and was stood down from the Environment and Finance select committees. Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan “There’s a lot of question to be answered – you can’t just say ‘look, I’ve forgotten.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hunter Biden’s ex-girlfriend Hallie is testifying in his federal gun trial. Hallie described to the court how she found a gun in his truck, his drug use and how he got her into drugs. Biden is charged with three felonies stemming from the purchase of a gun in 2018. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan “Joe Biden has released a statement saying if his son is found guilty – he won’t pardon him.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand will make its annual payment of $1 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) as scheduled - Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has confirmed. "This follows careful consideration of the UN's response - including through external & internal investigations - to serious allegations against certain UNRWA staff being involved in the 7 October terrorist attacks on Israel," Peters said in a tweet. Former Prime Minister and Head of UN Development Agency, Helen Clark, told Heather du Plessis-Allan “They had to conclude that Israel’s case is completely unproven, because they never provided any evidence.” Clark said “Every big barrel of apples, will have a bad one somewhere – but as a smear of an organisation is quite wrong.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This weekend, the Fijian Drua will play the Blues at Eden Park in their second quarterfinal in a row. Meanwhile, The Melbourne Rebels are closing up shop – bringing Super Rugby’s finals system down to a six-team playoffs next year in an 11-team competition. SportsTalk Host Jason Pine told Heather du Plessis-Allan “I don’t think the Rebels or the Drua will beat the Hurricanes or Blues games. Piney said “There’s a possibility of the Chiefs coming down against the Reds.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland woman who can no longer move her legs after inhaling nitrous oxide - otherwise known as 'nangs' or 'laughing gas - is urging the government to regulate the sale of the gas. Nitrous oxide has been used as an anaesthetic for over than 150 years, but it’s also popular as a recreational drug. Auckland City Hospital Neurology Registrar, Dr Shilpan Patel, told Heather du Plessis-Allan “We’ve seen people inhaling hundreds of canisters a day come in with injuries – as well as people who’ve only had a handful.” Patel says “It’s quite a serious condition that can have long-lasting consequences for otherwise young, fit and well people.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian change of heart on the 501s didn't last long did it, ay? They flipped their position today. They've issued a new directive. Now, what this is going to do essentially is it's going to force decision-makers when they’re considering whether to send a 501 back to New Zealand, or wherever else: they now have to put more emphasis on Australian safety when they make their decision. Previously, they had to put emphasis on whether the person actually had a connection to Australia. So basically, in a nutshell, what it means is that we're probably going to go back to the ‘bad old days’ of the 501s arriving here. The kind of person who hasn’t lived in New Zealand since they were like 2-years-old or something like that. Not our problem really, but com in anyway. Of course, the Aussies had a change of heart. This was always going to happen. There was no way it was going to be a political winner for anyone over there to keep Kiwi-born bad guys in New Zealand when they could just simply send them away. And as predicted, elbows getting a political smashing for allowing the bad Kiwis to stay in Aussie because Jacinda asked him to. Now, the thing is: I don't like what's happened today. I'm really sad about what these criminals are doing to the country. Because there's no doubt these bad guys are the most sophisticated bad guys we have seen in a long time. And they’re certainly more sophisticated than the bad guys we're used to in New Zealand. But there is no point in crying about it, or begging them not to do it. They're going to do it. This is the reality: We do it too. I mean, just the other day we deported a guy back to South Africa for killing another chap with a with a single martial arts-style kick to the head. That guy, who we sent back to South Africa, was 10 when he moved here. So, we are doing exactly the same thing, as the Aussies are doing. As far as I can see, there's nothing we can do to stop it. We've only got one option available to us. If we really, really want to limit how much crime some of these guys fall back into: we have got to spend money on our side of the border setting them up when they arrive here. I think they get something like a couple of nights in a motel and a little bit of spending cash - and then they're on their own. I mean, that's not really going to buy them very much time, is it? That's why very many of them fall back into crime. If we really want to stop them from falling back into crime - if we really want to set them up as good citizens - we have got to get them proper accommodation and we've got to get them jobs and it's going to cost us a lot of money. But I'll tell you what: it will cost us less than them heading into jail. We can only control what happens on the side of the border. On the other side - the Aussie side - there's nothing we can do. As proven by the reversal today. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday 6 June 2024, Transport Minister Simeon Brown details his $4 billion spend to fix and prevent potholes on the nation's roads. With further calls for an investigation into Te Paati Māori and alleged misuse of personal information, the issue has reached a point where a broader inquiry can be justified. The Huddle considers if Covid tests should be free. Plus, male contraception is on the way to shoulders around the world. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New information has been revealed about Christian Brueckner, the lead suspect in the long-running Madeleine McCann case. German police have claimed Brueckner had an email account containing messages related to the killing of McCann. UK Correspondent, Enda Brady told Jack Tame “Police have discovered a Hotmail account and external hard drive, which they say link him to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.” Brady says “We’ve long suspected the German police know a lot more than they’re going to tell the public – but this is the first time that they’ve acknowledge this link.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Infometrics predict the official cash rate (OCR) won’t move until February next year - rather than this November. Non-tradeable inflation (inflation that is domestic and not influenced by international factors) has caused issues for the Reserve Bank – say business commentators. It makes up almost 60% of the consumer price index (CPI), which the Reserve Bank is trying to reduce. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Jack Tame “We kept looking out at the economy and we can’t support our previous view.” Olsen says “You’re not going to use monetary policy to get local government rates under control, or insurance premiums.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

University of Otago research revealed last year that twice the number of under 30-year-olds living in rural areas die compared to those in cities. It’s the strongest evidence yet that the health of rural Kiwis is worse than those who live in the city. The Country Host Jamie Mckay told Jack Tame “The rural male suicide rate is 64% higher than in cities.” Mckay said “Māori living rurally are twice as likely to die of preventable causes than their urban counterparts.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Good news for motorists: the price of oil has gone down around 7 percent in the last week. The Brent Crude oil price dropped below US$80 a barrel at the weekend, after OPEC+ came to a deal to extend voluntary production cuts. NZ Business editor-at-large, Liam Dann told Jack Tame “That’s good news for motorists – and good news on the inflation fight.” Dann said “We want to see renewable energy – but everything in the economy is underpinned by the price of oil.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Bank of New Zealand is extending the opening hours of part-time branches. The bank put an emphasis on call centres and digital services after closing 38 branches during the height of the pandemic. BNZ Chief Executive Dan Huggins told Jack Tame “We’ve heard from our customers – particularly small businesses – that they want to talk to our people more often” Huggins said “four or five years ago, we saw a demand for digital – now we've taken the feedback, we’re putting more people into our branches.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On The Huddle: Health funding in this year’s budget The government will fund $22m to train 25 more doctors each year through the existing medical schools at Otago and Auckland universities. Although, Waikato University's plan for a new medical school - which had support from National - is not in the Budget. The Maxim Institute’s Tim Wilson told Jack Tame “It’s probably not the end of the world in the grand scheme of things, but it does fill out a narrative of a series of broken promises.” Former staffer for Jacinda Ardern Mike Munro said “50 doctors is not a lot – but we do need everything we can get right now.” Munro says “It comes back to the reckless promises they made in opposition.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government will purchase an additional 9 million rapid antigen tests (RATs), extending freely available tests by three months. Health Minister Shane Reti announced today that nearly $200m of the funding will go towards vaccines and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test processing. Health Minister Shane Reti told Jack Tame “I believe Kiwis want to do the right thing and follow their isolations.” Reti says “We want to get through this at-risk period. It peaks at mid-year and end-of-year.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Male birth control may be on its way – in gel form. It’s a hormonal gel that men rub on their shoulders, which has been developed at the University of Southern California (USC). USC Obstetrician-Gynaecologist, Dr Brian Nguyen told Jack Tame “It’s very similar to female contraceptive methods – we have so much experience with it.” Nguyen said “The entire factory is left intact, you’re just telling factory to stop production.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Pāti Māori is facing allegations that personal information collected by a Manurewa marae during Covid immunisations was used for political campaigning. The marae was also controversially used as a polling booth in last year’s general election. Te Pāti Māori has denied the allegations. Taxpayers Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, told Jack Tame “At the end of the day, this information isn’t in the government’s hands.” Williams said “The Census is such a core function of government – and public must have confidence that the data is protected.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government will spend $4 billion over the next three years fixing and preventing potholes on state highways and local roads nationwide. Auckland will get a $478 million boost in pothole funding; Waikato will get $214m and Canterbury has been allocated $187m in funding. Transport Minister Simeon Brown told Jack Tame “The real focus here is preventing them.” Brown said “The NZTA board allocates the fund based upon need.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.