Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Air New Zealand is suspending Auckland to Chicago services due to ongoing issues with the availability of serviceable Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines used in Boeing 787 aircraft. They'll suspended from the end of this month, until late October. Customers can rebook on another flight, or get a refund or credit. The airline's chief customer and sales officer, Leanne Geraghty, says the company will work to ensure customers can still get to where they need to go. "Our teams are in constant communication with Rolls-Royce as we work through trying to resolve the issue." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Wellsford Volunteer Fire Brigade is expected to return a $2500 donation gifted by the local Head Hunters chapter. The infamous motorcycle gang's Wellsford chapter raised the money through their 'Outlaw Run' fundraising ride. Charities law expert Sue Barker says there's laws around accepting donations from criminal organisations- if the money was raised through illegal actions. "The question is- has this donation come from illegal sources? I don't actually know, it sounds like it was done from a charity day, it's only $2500, people could have been donating small cash, items." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions over whether the law forcing the retirement of Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier is fit-for-purpose in the 21st century. The near 50-year-old Ombudsmen Act states an ombudsman must resign once they turn 72. It's meant Boshier's resigned ahead of his birthday on Saturday. Electoral law expert and barrister Graeme Edgeler says this law doesn't make sense, as the Ombudsman appointment only lasts 5 years. "It's not like we're appointing someone at 50 who's still going to be doing the job at 80, so it is very different from judges." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell is determined to work out a solution to police pay concerns. Police staff have widely rejected the Government's latest proposed pay offer, and many are considering industrial action. Mitchell says they're currently in good faith negotiations with the Police Association. "The reality of it is, we are in a very tough financial situation. But I just want to assure everyone that we are doing the best that we can." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former pilot says the Latam plane plunging mid-air reminds him of a Qantas flight more than a decade ago. A number of people were thrown into the roof and 50 were treated for injuries. The Transport Accident Investigation Commission's seizing the cockpit voice and flight data recorders, with Chilean authorities taking the lead in the investigation. Massey University School of Aviation CEO Ashok Poduval says a Qantas flight from Singapore to Perth in 2008 had an autopilot malfunction. "It puts the aircraft down very sharply, they lost about 600 feet. And that caused several injuries." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Association has slammed the Government's latest 'insulting' pay offer. Police staff have dubbed the four percent pay increase 'demoralising' and are calling for the Government to come to the table. Association president Chris Cahill says this increase is lower than the public service pay adjustment offer they received last year. "It doesn't recognise the high cost of inflation that members have been suffering, the real struggle to make ends meet, pay their rent, pay their mortgages. It's just missing the mark on so many levels." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'll tell you what, what happened with that Latam flight yesterday is probably my worst nightmare. Weirdly, this has gotten worse since I've had a child, I think that maybe you're more worried about your own mortality- but every time since I've gotten on a flight, at some point between getting on the flight and the flight starting to take off, before it's fully airborne, I start to think about how mind-bending it is that a piece of metal that heavy can somehow stay in the air. At all, never mind the journey of the flight. And then I have to immediately stop thinking about it, because that just freaks me out way too much. I can't, I'm not smart enough to understand how this all works. So yesterday is my worst nightmare, because that's the thing I think about every single time I get on the flight. What makes it even more freaky is that at this point, it does not seem to have been caused by turbulence. It sounds like the plane's technology just stopped working. One of the passengers says that when the plane landed, the pilot came down the back and when the passenger asked what had happened, the pilot said- my gage has just blanked out, I lost all of my ability to fly the plane. We got a text on the show not long after it had happened telling us- it's not air turbulence, it was caused by a problem with the plane. Do not contact me. And Latam, in its own statement, is not talking about turbulence. Yesterday, it referred to the incident as a 'technical event'. And then today, it updated the statement to basically call it a 'strong shake'. Now, we're probably not going to know what actually happened until after the investigations- and there are multiple investigations already, by the looks of things. Chile civil aviation bodies have sent someone to investigate, our transport accident investigation commission is considering investigating, and Boeing is investigating as well. And speaking of Boeing, it's not a good time to be Boeing, is it? Because a couple of months ago, the door blew off the Alaskan Airlines plane, now you've got this- and back in 2018, 2019, those fatal crashes made huge headlines around the world. But back to yesterday. If it pans out to be true that the plane had simply stopped working- and this is not altogether crazy, because that is what happened with QF72 back in 2008. Remember that one? Where the automation on the plane basically went nuts a couple of times and caused the plane to nosedive dramatically? And the pilots had no control whatsoever, they thought they were going to die. So it's not altogether crazy for that to happen. If it does work out that this is what has happened, isn't that absolutely the worst imaginable thing that could happen on a flight? I mean, if a pilot falls asleep, you can wake him up. If a door blows out, strap yourselves in and put the oxygen on. But if the computer stops working? Oh no, worst nightmare. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'll tell you what, what happened with that Latam flight yesterday is probably my worst nightmare. Weirdly, this has gotten worse since I've had a child, I think that maybe you're more worried about your own mortality- but every time since I've gotten on a flight, at some point between getting on the flight and the flight starting to take off, before it's fully airborne, I start to think about how mind-bending it is that a piece of metal that heavy can somehow stay in the air. At all, never mind the journey of the flight. And then I have to immediately stop thinking about it, because that just freaks me out way too much. I can't, I'm not smart enough to understand how this all works. So yesterday is my worst nightmare, because that's the thing I think about every single time I get on the flight. What makes it even more freaky is that at this point, it does not seem to have been caused by turbulence. It sounds like the plane's technology just stopped working. One of the passengers says that when the plane landed, the pilot came down the back and when the passenger asked what had happened, the pilot said- my gage has just blanked out, I lost all of my ability to fly the plane. We got a text on the show not long after it had happened telling us- it's not air turbulence, it was caused by a problem with the plane. Do not contact me. And Latam, in its own statement, is not talking about turbulence. Yesterday, it referred to the incident as a 'technical event'. And then today, it updated the statement to basically call it a 'strong shake'. Now, we're probably not going to know what actually happened until after the investigations- and there are multiple investigations already, by the looks of things. Chile civil aviation bodies have sent someone to investigate, our transport accident investigation commission is considering investigating, and Boeing is investigating as well. And speaking of Boeing, it's not a good time to be Boeing, is it? Because a couple of months ago, the door blew off the Alaskan Airlines plane, now you've got this- and back in 2018, 2019, those fatal crashes made huge headlines around the world. But back to yesterday. If it pans out to be true that the plane had simply stopped working- and this is not altogether crazy, because that is what happened with QF72 back in 2008. Remember that one? Where the automation on the plane basically went nuts a couple of times and caused the plane to nosedive dramatically? And the pilots had no control whatsoever, they thought they were going to die. So it's not altogether crazy for that to happen. If it does work out that this is what has happened, isn't that absolutely the worst imaginable thing that could happen on a flight? I mean, if a pilot falls asleep, you can wake him up. If a door blows out, strap yourselves in and put the oxygen on. But if the computer stops working? Oh no, worst nightmare. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India has established a Free Trade Agreement with four European nations. The nation will lift most tariffs for Switzerland, Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the UK could benefit from a similar arrangement as the nation prepares for a post-Brexit future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and broadcaster Paddy Gower joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Kensington Palace posted a photo of Princess Kate and her family to celebrate Mother's Day in the UK- and several media outlets have since pulled the image amid concerns about possible photo manipulation. What do we think of this? What's going on with the royals? The New Zealand Film Commission plans to invest $800,000 into a multi-million dollar feature film about Dame Jacinda Ardern. How do we feel about this? Will Kiwi audiences respond well? A father who killed his child in a driveway accident has been charged by police with careless driving causing death. Isn't the death of a child bad enough? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Freedom Furniture has posted a $9 million dollar loss, and is relying on Australian owner Greenlit Brands to support them financially. The furniture and homeware retailer has 12 stores in New Zealand, including five in Auckland. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says the 'recessionary environment', increased interest rates and transport delays created by the Red Sea terror attacks have impacted the company. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is set to re-introduce interest deductibility for landlords this April. They'll also be able to claim 80 percent of interest expenses from next month, and 100 percent from April 2025. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says time will tell as to whether these proposed changes will benefit renters as well. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Records have been smashed as Australians swelter through a weekend autumn heatwave. Maximum temperatures in the heatwave-affected areas have been 10C to 16C above the March average. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says the increased temperatures come with a higher risk of dangerous bushfires. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the US, some proposed new legislation is putting TikTok back in the spotlight. The new bill would force the app's partner company ByteDance to sell TikTok within six months or be banned from US app stores amid spyware concerns. Tech commentator Paul Spain says lots of companies would love to have the power and influence that comes with owning the platform. "Meta probably wouldn't be allowed to buy it because it would put them in a monopoly type of position, but there's others like Microsoft that would love to get in on this. I don't think there'll be a shortage of interest." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says the Government's thinking about what to do about problems in the media sector. In the past few weeks there's been proposals made about Newshub's closure and cuts at TVNZ. Nicola Willis says no decisions have been made about what will be done. She says it's hardly a unique problem. "It's not just New Zealand who's going through these big problems, this is a global phenomenon. And it's hard to find an example anywhere of a country that's managed to really get on top of it." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia walked away with a series-winning victory over New Zealand at Christchurch's Hagley Oval. The Aussies chased 279 to win before tea on the fourth day to take the series 2-nil. Cricket commentator Andrew Alderson says the Black Caps 'choked' under the pressure of the series, to the benefit of Australia. "The Australians are so confident and so used to being able to deal with level of pressure. And I don't think New Zealand quite had what it took in those circumstances." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A plea for the Government to wake up to the reality of vaping among young people. The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation says a 'black market' for vapes has sprung up in schools. One workshop with year 7 and 8 students found 77 percent of them had tried it. Chief Executive Letitia Harding says on the campaign trail, politicians liked to talk about different ways to tackle the problem. "But as soon as they get into Government, trying to actually see the Minister of Health and talk to them with the expertise that we've got behind us in incredibly frustrating." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A reminder every second counts when it comes to the effort of fighting fires. Fire and Emergency New Zealand has criticised Auckland Transport for speed bumps, which it says slows firefighters on their way to jobs. Professional Firefighters Union Auckland President Terry Bird says it doesn't have to be all or nothing. "There's an opportunity to talk about how to design these speed management humps in a way that they aren't obstructing firefighters and slowing them down, there are fire appliance-friendly designs." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kensington Palace is refusing to comment on a new image of the Princess of Wales, after concerns it's been manipulated. The picture posted this morning to celebrate Mother's Day in the UK shows Catherine with her three children. But, The Associated Press, Reuters and Getty have pulled the image from circulation. ITV royal correspondent Chris Ship says this photo was meant to dampen speculation around the Princess, but it's done the opposite. "You've now got three or four major international picture agencies who have all pulled it for various reasons, I think one said there were fears it had been manipulated, another said they had serious post-production concerns." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia has fought back from being five wickets down for just 80 runs to beat New Zealand by three wickets in the second test in Christchurch, taking the series 2-nil. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey scored an unbeaten 98, while Ben Sears took four for 65 for the Black Caps. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There were concerns The Holdovers was going to win 'Best Original Screenplay' at today's 96th Academy Awards after plagiarism accusations. The award instead went to Anatomy of a Fall. Screenwriter Simon Stephenson - who also wrote Paddington 2 - claims The Holdovers' story is remarkably similar to a script he wrote in 2013. Hollywood reporter Sean Mandell says by not winning, they've dodged a dicey situation. "The Guild has said - in those correspondence anyway, not publicly - they said that there's nothing really they can do, because it has to be a lawsuit matter." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If the speculation around Kate Middleton's health was at a fever pitch last week, it is off the charts today because of the photo. This drama is very much developing at the moment. By the time the photo-is-manipulated revelation came out, it was very late in the UK already. It's still very early morning over there, so I would expect things to start happening again in the next few hours as people wake up. But let me bring you up to speed on where we're at with this, because I think this has the potential to be quite a serious problem for the royals, depending on how they handle it. Because of the rumours around Kate's health, Kensington Palace put out a photo of Kate and the kids, taken by William for Mother's Day. But then- people started seeing the problems. Kate wasn't wearing her wedding ring and at Charlotte’s left hand, the sleeve disappears in a weird way. Behind wee Louis, a step has an unnatural break in the line, and there's a duplication on his right sleeve by the shoulder. Kate's one hand is blurry while the other is crystal clear- and they should actually be the same because they’re at the same focal point for the camera. And there is a tree in the background that some say shouldn't have leaves at this time of year. As a result, major international agencies like The Associated Press, Reuters and Getty have all issued a kill notice on the photo and told media outlets around the world to delete it immediately because as AP says- "It appears that the source has manipulated the image." The source being the royals. What makes this worse is that Kensington Palace is refusing to comment on it. Which means we can't even ask the question- was this photo just photoshopped (minor problem) or was it totally artificially created and the family never sat for it (major problem)? Now hopefully there is a very simple explanation. Like maybe they just mashed multiple photos together to get the best take of each person. So maybe if Louis had his eyes closed in one shot and Charlotte had her eyes closed in another shot, they took the best shots of everyone and mashed them into a single photo. It might be something simple like that. But whatever it is, they need to start talking fast. Because they put this photo out to quell speculation and rumours about Kate Middleton’s health and they have just turbo-charged those rumours. Let's be clear, it's not that they owe anyone an explanation over a private health problem, but it’s that they need to protect Kate Middleton from what they've just done- and what they've unleashed on her. People are getting so nutty over this that Kate Middleton got papped by TMZ on a school run last week. If people were fascinated then and hungry for that photo, can you imagine the pressure for a pap now? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The price of gold has hit a record high, over $3,500 an ounce. Development West Coast CEO, Heath Milne, says this is great news as a number of gold mining and refining projects are underway. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mothers Ruined Gin co-owner Jo Davy joins Heather to discuss their battle with energy drink giant, Energy Beverages LLC, who claim they own the word Mother. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Shane Reti joins Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the governments newly announced health targets for 2024. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson joins Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Television New Zealand (TVNZ) chief executive Jodi O’Donnell has told Newstalk ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan she didn’t want to cut any shows, but it had been a day of hard decisions. “It’s only a proposal at this stage," O'Donnell said. "We have spent the seven months working across the business trying to find cost savings,” she said However, it hadn’t been enough, she said. “We need to do something more significant. So we’ve had a look at all our options. I’ve been open about the fact there are no ‘sacred cows’ and we need to find ways to stop doing some things because we need to cut costs." O'Donnell said TVNZ was investing more than $40 million into news and current affairs: “So we absolutely believe in the future of news and current affairs.” She said, though, TVNZ’s operating model was more expensive than the revenue it was making. "We need to find ways to stop doing some things because we need to cut costs." Pressed on specifically which programmes would be cut - including possible changes to Shortland Street - O’Donnell said any show could be affected: “We’re looking at everything.” “We’ll constantly be looking at things to keep our operating model in line with our revenue. “We are a commercial business. That’s the remit we need to work with. She said TVNZ’s decision-making was partly based on which shows would work in a “digital world”. O’Donnell confirmed TVNZ did not consider cutting 1News down to a half hour. "What we see with the one-hour news bulletin, it’s an incredibly profitable hour of broadcasting and it also delivers incredibly strong on our digital platform." She said there had been a continual decline in advertising revenue across this financial year. “Our competitors these days are not [Newstalk ZB] or Sky or Warner Brothers, but they are Google and Meta. These are multi-trillion dollar organisations. “Ninety cents in every dollar spent in digital news advertising is going offshore. That’s 10 cents left for the likes of New Zealand Media and Entertainment, TVNZ, Stuff - any of the local broadcasters, and that’s a challenge. “I mean you still can’t advertise on television on Sunday morning at the moment. That’s how outdated that [Broadcasting] Act is. “I think, particularly in this environment of trust, it’s important that is really clear and it’s still independent." She said she was ambitious about TVNZ’s digital future. “We offer a broad range of content. Local is still an incredibly important part of that. As we build out that platform, that’s the challenge we have in front of us." There were no other cuts planned, she said. - NZ Herald WATCH ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judith Collins is using Chat-GPT to help her write her speeches. She leads a group of MP's in Parliament trying to figure out how to responsibly use AI. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, police in the Bradford area have deployed undercover female officers to crack down on sexual harassment. This is amid a 'concerning' epidemic of young women reporting concerns for their safety while they were out running. UK correspondent Enda Brady says anyone caught harassing a woman under these conditions will face a $2000 fine. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! David Seymour is copping some backlash over his comments about TVNZ, namely reporter Benedict Collins and his coverage of Chris Luxon's accommodation subsidy. Was this an immature move on Seymour's part? TVNZ has also confirmed they plan to cut up to 68 roles- our newsroom understands about 35 are news roles. Is this the right decision? How can the broadcaster adapt to our current media market? The Government is pushing through new legislation to fast-track consenting. These measures will give ministers the final say to sign off on initiatives it considers to be of regional or national significance, including mining and roads. What changes will come from this? The public sector has enacted new measures to cut costs. Some have encouraged workers to stay with friends when they travel for work and MSD has scrapped plunger coffee- is this a step too far? How else can the sector save money? Virgin Australia will allow small pets to travel on domestic flights- what do we think of that? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A petition urging the Government to keep the ban on live animal exports in place is gaining traction. Despite the Government promising to repeal the ban during the election, over 13,000 people have signed. The Country's Jamie Mackay says this is a polarising topic that's divided New Zealand's farming community. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Financial journalism veteran Liam Dann aims to guide New Zealanders through the business world using familiar Kiwi terms. BBQ Economics examines everything from interest rates, to economic conditions to the price of cheese- and it's out in bookstores this week. Liam Dann himself explains the purpose of this book here today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chinese e-commerce firm Temu has been taking the world of online retail by storm. The retailer's 'shop like a billionaire' campaign reflects their too-good-to-be true prices and deals promoted to consumers on social media- and beyond. Brand strategist Jill Brinsdon says Temu's targeting bargain hunters, and they seem determined to sweep the competition. "It's quite a classic strategy, Chemist Warehouse has come to New Zealand and done a similar thing. You have to have big pockets, then you come in and you're the loss-leader- and you clean up the market." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Attorney-General Judith Collins has concluded that the Government's move to ban gang patches is against the bill of rights. She tabled the advice in Parliament this afternoon, saying despite some gang members thinking they're above the law- they are also entitled to its protection. The bill seeks to reduce the ability for gangs to operate and cause fear in communities, by banning their patches. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says there have been many cases where the Government has enacted legislation that goes against the Bill of Rights. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's hope that the Government's plan to fast-track consents will speed up the production of independently created windfarms- eventually leading to cheaper electricity. The new regime gives ministers the final say to sign off on initiatives it considers to be of regional or national significance. Ventus Energy CEO Glenn Starr says shorter consenting timeframes will allow the company to compete with other generator retailers. "As an independent, it's difficult to keep everything running smoothly through the consent procuress and development process." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing concern Australia's Reserve Bank may have gone too far to reduce inflation. The RBA infamously pushed the Official Cash Rate up 13 times in a row, and some economists are concerned Australia's economy may suffer as a result. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says decreased spending has shrunk economic growth in the last three months of 2023. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The motel sector is welcoming the Government's new priority one emergency housing policies. Families with children living in emergency motels are being pushed to the front of the queue for a state house. It's also introducing a new verification system to crack down on who can access emergency motel accommodation to begin with. Hospitality New Zealand Accommodation Chair Troy Clarry says most moteliers want to get back to traditional motel business. "The reliance on MSD income for moteliers has decreased, and you've only got a few operators who are not traditional moteliers, who are still in it for the business." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cats and dogs will soon be allowed in the cabin of some Australian domestic flights. Virgin has announced plans to become Australia's first airline to allow pets to ride onboard, with small dogs and cats to be allowed in specific rows. The service will only be available on select flights. Aviation commentator Irene King says pet travel is best suited to shorter flights. "You have to keep them short and sweet, because otherwise you have very nasty smells in the cabin." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has promised bigger projects will be built faster and more cost-effectively under their fast-track approval scheme. This legislation, which would give power to ministers to sign-off consents for major infrastructure projects, has passed its first reading in the House. Minister for Regional Economic Development Shane Jones says a 'long-term pipeline' of projects will encourage investors. "We need to build a pipeline of projects, to show both ourselves and people overseas that if you want to invest in New Zealand, there's a long-term pipeline of both private and public sector projects." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark says trimming TVNZ's flagship news show in half would be tragic. TVNZ has confirmed it is proposing to cut up to 68 roles. Our newsroom understands about 35 are news roles. It comes a week after Warner Brothers Discovery announced a proposal to scrap Newshub. Clark says we'd barely get 14 minutes of news, then sport and the weather, and that just wouldn't cover it. "You wouldn't carry much of a newsroom to fill a bulletin that literally would be 14 or 15 minutes worth of news- so I think that would be a sad day." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Both of the Warriors' first two NRL home games have sold out. The remaining tickets available for tomorrow night's campaign opener against Cronulla were snapped up this morning. It's the club's first opening round sell-out at Mount Smart since their first match in 1995 against the Brisbane Broncos. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Council has proposed moving from weekly to fortnightly rubbish collection times. This concept is among a selection of other suggestions to move the city closer to a zero-waste target by 2040. Auckland councillor Daniel Newman is 'sceptical' about the practical applications of this idea. "Some people will cope marvellously, but there are thousands of families, bigger households, particularly in wards like mine in South Auckland- where the rubbish collection each week is a pretty important occasion." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First it was Newshub, now it's TVNZ. We are still waiting on the details- staff have been told there will be 68 job losses, but the rest they’ll find out tomorrow. The speculation in the media is that half of those job cuts will be in the newsroom. Fair Go and Sunday reportedly will be merged, Breakfast and Seven sharp are affected, as is the late bulletin. Shortland Street will be cut down to three nights a week at some point, and the main news bulletin will reportedly be cut down to 30 minutes, but nothing is confirmed right now. To be honest, if they want to save the ship, that is how brutal they need to be, particularly with that bulletin. That thing needs to be cut in half. When I first started working at TVNZ slightly less than 20 years ago, senior news bosses were already talking about needing to do that. It is well overdue. And it’s actually not unusual internationally to have shorter news bulletins. The Germans have a 15 minute bulletin at 8pm, In the UK, the BBC News at Six is half an hour, it happens all around the world. Seven Sharp, it they want to be brutal, should probably be cut altogether- you can probably buy a half-hour programme from overseas for much cheaper to put in that slot. I don't say this because I want this to happen, I don’t want less news on TV. I don’t want less New Zealand content on screens. But we need to be realistic, people are turning the TV off. And TVNZ cannot keep spending this much money on a product that fewer and fewer people want to use. It's not sustainable to keep pumping the same amount of money in when you're getting less from it. It's a little bit like the postal service. Fewer and fewer people are using it nowadays, so it has to change and trim the budget to reflect the demand. You don't get post delivered five days a week anymore, you get it three days a week. And fewer people are watching the news, so it needs to cut costs. And actually not just the news, it's the whole of TVNZ. At some point, there will be so few people watching linear TV, we will have to pull the plug altogether. In the same way that one day we will have to stop the postal deliveries. There is some hope for TVNZ, they’re going hard investing in TVNZ Plus- which is their online platform that's like the TVNZ version of Netflix. Maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t. But while that is the future, linear TV is not. So these job losses, sadly, will not be the last. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Government is expected to announce a 2 percent cut to National Insurance tax when ministers reveal their annual economic snapshot. The current Government is yet to call a general election date, and experts say they need to boost public favour within a stagnant economy. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the Government is 'diving for support' amid declining public opinion. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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! Speculation says TVNZ could be looking to cut jobs ahead of their all-hands business meeting tomorrow. What do we think? Is the industry going through a rough patch? The director of a taxpayer funned anti-extremism research group is under pressure, after accusing the Government of being a child-hating 'death cult'. Were these comments a step too far? New research shows more Kiwis are in favour of tipping- does New Zealand need to embrace tipping culture? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Non-residential building work has shot up in the December 2023 quarter, according to the latest data. Commercial buildings have outpaced residential homes, with residential building activity dropping 2 percent in the December quarter. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen explains what this means for economic growth ahead of the upcoming GDP results. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BNZ is following other banks in cutting some mortgage rates, following ANZ and ASB. This comes off the back of last week's Reserve Bank decision to keep the Official Cash Rate unchanged at 5.5 percent. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says higher interest rates are driving prospective home buyers away- and the banks need to win people back. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is set to place greater scrutiny on New Zealanders trying to access emergency housing. The Minister for Social Development has announced the verification process, eligibility settings and obligations will be strengthened. It includes checking whether someone has 'unreasonably contributed to their need for housing'. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says more case workers will be needed to address these standards- but change in this area is needed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new survey has revealed a majority of people think contributing to KiwiSaver should be compulsory. Data from financial advice firm National Capital shows 62 percent of Kiwis are in favour of mandatory KiwiSaver contributions. Director Clive Fernandes says younger people in particular are getting more financially savvy and learning the importance of saving. "We've done quite well in the last few years in financial education, especially with the young ones. I think financial education and financial advice is not reaching the people who most need it, and that's the middle group." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing evidence Kiwis are embracing US-style tipping culture. New data from financial information site, Banked, says 47 Kiwis approve of tipping- and at least 60 percent of Kiwis sometimes leave tips. Restaurant Association President and Monsoon Poon owner Mike Egan says customers like to show appreciation for enthusiastic or knowledgeable workers. "When you give good service, you sort of invoke the emotional reciprocation. They thought the staff member knew all about the menu, and was great, and made everyone laugh, and was on to it- and they wanted to reciprocate." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.