Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

After hours clinics around the country are on the verge of collapse. New Official Information Act data shows that 24 practices and clinics had to reduce hours or close due to critical staff shortages and cost pressures in the first eight months of 2023. In Porirua, health officials are considering replacing overnight doctors with a telehealth service, which the local iwi says is unacceptable. Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists tells Jack Tame that deliberately casualised medical staffing is exaggerating the issue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ministers have a big weekend in store ahead of Monday’s Cabinet meeting, which will be one of the last major steps in signing off the 2024 budget. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls tells Jack Tame this budget is one of the most significant in recent years as the Government tries to balance the country’s fiscal position and balance between three coalition partners. And, Winston Peters used his speech at yesterday’s ANZAC Dawn Service in Turkey to reflect while taking a jab at the Russians. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Supreme Court has weighed whether former presidents are immune from prosecution and what exactly it means if they are. The answer will determine whether former President Donald Trump can be tried on charges of trying to subvert the 2020 election. Trump believes he is entitled to absolute immunity from criminal charges for actions committed while in office. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson tells Jack Tame the Supreme Court appeared ready to reject Trump’s claims, but that a clear answer may not be given. The decision will shape US democracy for years to come. Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era. New York’s highest court found the trial judge made a critical mistake allowing testimony based on allegations that were not part of the case. And, Madonna has been sued by fans again. A group of fans in Washington D.C. say the singer made them wait hours in a “hot, uncomfortable arena” before lip syncing her performance. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors have suffered their third loss in a row, losing at home to the Gold Coast Titans in yesterday’s ANZAC clash. Weekend Sport host Jason Pine tells Jack Tame the team’s roster remains as strong as it did at the start of the season and fans shouldn’t worry just yet. Meanwhile, the Crusaders are at the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific table after just one victory in eight games. Piney places his bets that tonight’s match against the Melbourne Rebels may change the tide. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is set for a new player in the supermarket landscape. Residents of Nawton, Hamilton will soon be walking through the doors of the biggest, independent supermarket in NZ, FIFO – Fresh In Fresh Out. The suburb has been without a supermarket for eight months after losing its Countdown due to persistent retail crime. Owner Manish Thakkar tells Jack Tame the new supermarket will be financially viable in a way the location’s previous Countdown could not be due to its independence and ability to be stocked by a variety of suppliers, tailoring to residents specific needs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two days on, it’s fair to say Christopher Luxon’s swift and brutal demotion of Penny Simmonds and Melissa Lee hasn’t met much opposition. I appreciate these are early days for the new government and all Ministers are bedding in, but I don’t think I’ve heard a single person publicly argue that Lee or Simmonds was doing a sufficiently good job. Not one. Of course, opposition MPs feel duty-bound to attack in these kinds of moments. Chris Hipkins said it showed the PM had terrible judgement in appointing his Ministers in the first place. But the co-leader of Te Pāti Māori found a different reason to criticise it. It wasn’t that Melissa Lee simply wasn’t cut out for Cabinet and that Penny Simmonds was lost at sea. It wasn’t that facing pressures in their portfolios, the new Ministers hadn’t adapted quickly enough. Apparently, it was misogyny. Based on what? Well, as Debbie Ngarewa-Packer noted, Luxon hasn’t been as forceful with male MPs in his Cabinet who’ve made public comments out of turn. But, of course, there’s a perfectly good non-gendered explanation for that. The reason Luxon hasn’t publicly hammered ACT and New Zealand First Ministers is that they are ACT and New Zealand First Ministers. Arguably... if competence and discipline were the only things concerning the Prime Minister when it comes to Ministerial portfolios and the make up of his Cabinet, Casey Costello might have had an awkward phone call several months ago. Some of what Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says is fair enough. She says the Ministers should have been offered more support before being cut, that other senior Ministers should have stepped in and helped. I disagree – Melissa Lee in particular had years to prepare for this moment. But even so... that’s a criticism of the process which doesn’t reflexively bounce to an identity extreme. Misogyny exists. Of course it does. It exists in the private sector. It certainly exists in politics. But crying misogyny when Ministers are demoted when there are far more obvious explanations – like incompetence - actually undermines the greater issue. It devalues legitimate misogyny criticisms. Most reasonable people can see Christopher Luxon didn’t demote his Ministers because they’re women. He demoted them because when the pressure came on, they weren’t up to it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rishi Sunak says UK military spending would rise to 2.5 percent of national income by 2030 in response to global threats. Sunak has also committed to giving the Ukraine £3 billion a year for as long as the current war goes on. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains why Sunak is committed to keeping the UK on a "war footing". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Business Mentors CEO Sarah Trotman joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds have been unexpectedly stripped of their portfolios today - what do we think of this? Is this good leadership from Luxon? Elon Musk has been clashing with the Australian Government over the Sydney church stabbing videos appearing on X. Can a Government tell a company what content it can display online? Why is Elon doubling down? People are protesting Auckland Council's removal of rubbish bins by leaving their dog poo bags at the park. Should the council just put the bins back? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Netflix releases their results for first quarter, they've promised some new changes to the service. The company's shares have dropped by nine percent, and speculation indicates the company could introduce ads to the service. Milford Asset Management's Deborah Lambie explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been more light shined on the conflicting coverage of public sector job growth. Labour's Chris Hipkins has justified the growth of the public sector under the previous Government- does he have a point? NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains both sides of the issue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has revealed surprise tweaks to Cabinet. Melissa Lee's lost her Media and Communications portfolio and been booted from Cabinet and Penny Simmonds' Disability role has gone to Louise Upston. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper dissects Luxon's reasons for the reshuffle. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New reports show Tesla is experiencing a steep decline in profits and revenue - but the company's shares jumped 10 percent. The electric vehicle manufacturer posted a lower-than-expected $21.3 billion in revenue and 55 percent decline in profit from the first quarter of 2023. AJ Bell financial advisor Danni Hewson says investors believe CEO Elon Musk aims to focus more attention on Tesla, with more projects in the pipeline. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand has achieved its first trading surplus since last May. Stats NZ trade data for March 2024 shows a monthly surplus of $588 million. Goods exports rose 3.8 percent in March on March 2023 - driven by fruit exports, which rose $170 million. ANZ economist Henry Russell says this is down to a post-pandemic bounce-back - and a weakening domestic economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Defence Force is facing an unexpected challenge ahead of ANZAC commemorations in Gallipoli. About half the luggage of the 40-strong team is lost in transit at Dubai, including uniforms and instruments. RSA CEO Marty Donoghue says he expects the team will come up with a backup plan ahead of tomorrow's event. "I think the contingent will be really gutted it doesn't have its instruments and uniforms with them - but there is always a way you can solemnly remember and do a remembrance activity." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American comedian Arj Barker is on the defence after last weekend's incident Barker has sparked controversy across the Tasman after he asked a mother and baby to leave his Melbourne comedy show on Saturday, because the baby was disrupting his performance. He says he had no interest in shaming the woman or her child - but he wanted to create a quiet soundscape. "I just wanted to create an uninterrupted soundscape so I could do my show. This was a very quiet theatre... it's a beautiful theatre, but you could hear a pin drop in there." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dog walkers in Auckland's Remuera and Pt Chevalier have been leaving poo bags where rubbish bins used to be. The council's been removing bins with low historical use since last November to save money. Orakei Local Board member Troy Churton says the protest is duly noted, but it's no reason to keep dump dog faeces. "I can definitely raise this with my board - and will do so - that some of the bins we've taken can be reinstated." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is defending today's surprise Cabinet reshuffle. Luxon has demoted Melissa Lee from Cabinet and stripped her of the Broadcasting and Media portfolio, giving it to Paul Goldsmith. He's also sacked Penny Simmonds as the Minister for Disabilities, handing the role to Louise Upston. Prime Minister Luxon says he needs the right people in the right assignments at the right time - and both roles have gotten more complex. "They're good, hardworking ministers, they've still got my full confidence, they've still got key roles to play with portfolios on our team and key roles to deliver on - but this is really just acknowledging both of those portfolios have changed." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New US-based research suggests women are less likely to die when treated by female doctors. A study has followed people 65 and older, observing data on those who died within 30 days of seeing a doctor. 8.15 percent of women who died had been treated by female physicians, but that rose to 8.38 percent for women who'd been seen by a man. For male patients, their doctor's gender made no difference. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the numbers may seem like a tiny gap, but it could save 5,000 lives each year. "The study suggests that they are less likely to have experienced miscommunication and misunderstanding and bias." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors have an eye to the future with another landmark signing. 19-year-old halfback Jett Cleary - younger brother of Penrith halfback Nathan and son of former Warriors and current Panthers coach Ivan - has signed a three-year deal from next season. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing calls for transparency and clarity around anti-doping processes. This comes after the revelation that the World Anti-Doping Agency cleared 23 Chinese swimmers to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, despite testing positive for a banned substance. Former World Anti-Doping Agency director general David Howman says aspects of this don't pass the 'smell test'. "They could be better in terms of disclosure, be transparent and they should provide more clarity as to the actual process that was followed." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I have got nothing bad to say about Chris Luxon demoting Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds today. This is exactly the kind of performance management that the country deserves, don't you think? Obviously on a human level, I feel sorry for both of those ministers because this will humiliating - but don’t tell me this wasn’t deserved. Melissa Lee has done an appalling job of looking like she knows what she’s doing with media, with senior commentators going on the radio to say - "She doesn't know what she's doing." And Penny Simmonds oversaw one of the biggest stuff ups for the Government, with the cutting of disability-related funding. So Melissa Lee's been stripped of the media portfolio and kicked out of Cabinet and Penny Simmonds has lost the disability portfolio - and she was already a minister outside of Cabinet. Now this does two things: Firstly, it signals to voters that are there are standards in this Cabinet and incompetence will not be tolerated. That is a great signal to send to voters, it will likely lift the public regard of Cabinet. Secondly, it sends a very important message to other ministers that if you stuff up in public, this will happen to you. Luxon's made it clear we're going to see more of this as the Government goes along, and there is nothing like the threat of losing a job to make someone pull their socks up. What's happened today will shock a lot of people, because over the last few years we've got used to Prime Minsters just putting up with their ministers doing a bad job or behaving badly in public. Kiri Allan, Phil Twyford, Michael Wood, Clare Curran, even Nanaia Mahuta - the Foreign Minister who didn't like international travel. It took forever for Hipkins or Ardern to demote the under-performers, and they suffered for it - public opinion of them was tainted. That is clearly not how Chris Luxon operates, and it’s a good thing. Because who doesn’t want performance from the people that we pay to run the country? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is pushing back at a proposal by the Commerce Commission to increase competition in the banking sector. The Commerce Commission has made multiple suggestions, including asking the Reserve Bank to tolerate more risk so that smaller banks and lenders have a chance to add competition in the market. Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Christian Hawkesby spoke with Heather du Plessis-Allan about the decision. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and former Chief of Staff to Jacinda Ardern, Mike Munro, joined in on a discussion about the issues of the day and more! The Government has proposed a ban on gang patches, but will it work? The Wellington Reading Cinemas deal is officially off the table - is it surprising that it took so long? And is comedian Arj Barker in the right for kicking a breastfeeding mother out of his show? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The controversial Reading Cinemas deal is off. Wellington City Council announced this afternoon that it's ended negotiations because they couldn't get the best possible outcome for Wellingtonians. Under the proposed deal, Wellington Council was set to buy the Reading Cinemas land for $32 million, then sell it back to Reading after a decade as a way to finance a future refurbishment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has promised to install 10,000 EV chargers by 2030... and EV charging company Jolt has suggested lines companies should pay for the investment. CEO of Vector, Simon Mackenzie, spoke with Heather du Plessis-Allan about who is responsible for covering the costs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comedian Arj Barker has hit back at criticism after he asked a breastfeeding mother to leave his show in Melbourne over the weekend. Arj said the seven month old's sounds were distracting him and "ruined his train of thought." The NZ International Comedy Festival is about to kick off and the Chief Executive, Lauren Whitney, joined Heather to discuss what happened. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This morning I was listening to the radio, and I was quite shocked when I heard Labour’s Justice Spokesperson, Duncan Webb, talking about the Three Strikes Law. He said judges and lawyers hate it so much, they will find ways around it so they don’t have to implement it. He said because the law will now only apply to crimes with sentences over two years – 24 months, “we will see a lot of sentences at 23 months because judges and lawyers... hate this.” Now... that’s a shocker. Because what that tells you is that it’s just accepted that if judges and lawyers don’t like a law, they’ll find a way around it. It’s so widely known that Duncan just says it on the radio and nobody blinds an eyelid. It’s the reason, apparently, that when we had Three Strikes last time, no one ever made it to their third strike fully. There were 29 people on second strike, and even after eight years of the law, no one on a full third strike. The only guy who did make it to the third strike - the Wellington Kisser – only got a half punishment, because he was given permission to apply for parole after a third of his sentence. Now, the reason I’m telling you about this is because this is a live debate... the conduct of judges. What with the Waitangi Tribunal judges thinking it’s acceptable to summon a minister to answer to them, and the Supreme Court judges’ quite radical moves to insert Tikanga Maori into law, and the Law Society on Friday telling us off for criticising judges and calling them activist judges. That’s exactly what we’re talking about. Voters wanted the Three Strikes Law, all three parties in Government promised to bring it back; so when voters voted for them... they knew they were voting for the Three Strikes Law. This Government has a mandate to bring it back. But apparently it’s widely known... the courts will ignore it because they know better. No. That is not how our system works. Voters are the boss, Parliament has supremacy. Judges are expected to implement the law, and if the Law Society is worried about people losing trust in judges, it could be that criticism isn’t the problem – the way the judges ignore the intention of Parliament might be the problem. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Select Committee heard submissions on Tuesday on the Government's proposed ban on gang patches. Chris Macklin, Convener of the Law Society's Criminal Law Committee spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan about why he critiqued the proposal. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been an eventful day in New York as the prosecution and defence laid out their cases in Donald Trump's hush money trial. The former president is accused of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. Heather spoke with criminal defence attorney Joseph Tully. LISTE ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and journalist Patrick Gower joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The government is bringing back the Three Strikes law - but will it work? Air New Zealand is hiking domestic airfares - should people be getting angry on how expensive it is to travel within New Zealand? And is Woolworths making the right move in bringing in body cameras for staff? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand is warning travel agents that it's about to put domestic airfares up. It comes at the same time as the national carrier has downgrades its full-year earnings guidance by 10 million dollars. The fare structure for flights to Australia and the Pacific is also getting a revamp. Aviation Commentator Peter Clark told Heather du Plessis-Allan the airline doesn't have a choice - as it's own costs have skyrocketed. He says people will simply have to suck it up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister admits there's still a way to go get inflation under control. Statistics NZ data showed headline inflation has dropped to 4 percent - the lowest number in nearly three years. But domestic inflation, otherwise known as non-tradeable inflation, is remaining sticky. She told Heather du Plessis-Allan the country isn't out of the woods yet. Willis says non-tradeable inflation is still sitting at 5.8 percent - which is still too high. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's calling for the Government to recognise Palestinian independence. Opposition spokesperson David Parker's written to Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, noting Israel's attacks have killed 32 thousand people in the past six months. He says the country's ignored two UN resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire, and is in breach of international law. Parker told Heather du Plessis Allan most other countries recognise Palestine, and we should follow suit to progress towards a two-state solution. He says affirming Palestine's right to exist as a separate state is a fundamental building block. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world's warming - but concern about it may be cooling. An Ipsos survey's found numbers are falling of New Zealanders saying we're failing future generations by not acting on climate change - down nine percent since 2022. It also found fewer Kiwis believe businesses not combating global warming, are failing staff and customers. Managing Director Carin Hercock told Heather du Plessis-Allan it seems to be a global trend. She says it's a post-Covid and high-inflation impact, as countries with higher inflation experience a softening in climate commitment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Body cameras are being rolled out across all Woolworths' New Zealand stores. It's introducing a suite of new security measures to de-escalate violent customer confrontations. Physical assaults on staff have risen 75-percent over the past three years - and serious reportable events are up 148-percent. Head of Safety, Health and Wellbeing Denva Wren says a lot of work's gone into meeting privacy requirements, and footage will only go to Police. She told Heather du Plessis-Allan Woolworths wants to hold offenders to account and assure they can prosecute to the full extent of the law. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Minister-in-charge of bringing back Three Strikes Laws is hitting back at claims will worsen inequality in the justice system. The Government is preparing legislation to bring back mandated prison sentences for violent and sexual criminals for their third offence. Labour ended the law in 2022 and says it will result in unfairly long sentence, while the Greens say it will disproportionately impact Maori. But Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee told Heather du Plessis-Allan this is about incarcerating the most serious, violent offenders. She says she doesn't care what their ethnicity is - if they do the crime - they need to be locked up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Children's Minister Karen Chhour is facing the Waitangi Tribunal in the High Court today, in a challenge to her summons. The tribunal summonsed the ninister to respond to their concerns over plans to repeal section 7AA of the Oranga Tamariki Act. It ensures the ministry has regard to a child's whakapapa, and the whanaungatanga responsibilities of whanau. Commonts on the unfolding situation from Shane Jones and David Seymour have been criticised by Prime Minister. Newstalk ZB's Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's a tricky case - but the government is standing firm on its changes to the law. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health New Zealand appears to be making cuts to frontline services despite a government promise this wouldn't happen. The agency is telling hospital management to encourage staff to take leave, ban double shifts and to not cover sick staff. It's also asking managers to wipe unfilled roles as part of the budget process. Chief Executive of Health New Zealand Margie Apa told Heather du Plessis-Allan they need to live within their budget. She says staff leaders are asked to make sensible decisions. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As promised the government's bringing back the Three Strikes law. The Prime Minister and the Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee announced today it’ll be in Cabinet by mid-year. And they’re changing it just a wee bit. One of the criticisms of the law is that it sent a guy to jail for kissing a woman on a street in Wellington without consent, but because it was his third strike, he was sent away for the maximum sentence which was seven years. But that was way too harsh because he had mental health issues and it was a kiss, which is a pretty low-level indecent assault. So, this government is fixing that up by only applying the Three Strikes law to higher level crimes. The crimes that would qualify, once sentencing principles are applied, will be for two years in jail or more. We're talking things like aggravated injury, wounding with intent to injure, indecent assault and so on. Now, this is not our first rodeo with the Three Strikes law, is it? So, we already know the arguments about this, don’t we? Labour has come out saying it won’t work and it doesn’t deter criminals. The Greens say it will lead to grossly unfair results that disproportionately impact Māori. And probably both are true. But that’s not the point, is it? The critics of this law completely miss the point. The point of the Three Strikes law is to punish criminals who keep on hurting people. And that’s okay. We don’t need to apologise for sending bad people to jail. This is such a good example of how the crime and justice argument has for years lost the plot. This always turns into an argument about the rights and dignity of the criminal. Is it too hard on them? Is it bad for their rehabilitation? Of course, we want to rehabilitate. But that’s an add on. That’s not the reason we put them in jail. We put them in jail to punish them for what they do and to keep us safe from them. And if they don’t get the message the first time and they don’t’ get the message the second time, frankly, they should go in longer to keep us safe from them for longer. So, there is nothing to be ashamed of for, as the Greens say “the Government [being] hell-bent on funnelling more and more people into prisons.” If they’re committing serious crimes, repeatedly, that is exactly where they should be funnelled. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Google has dominated the search market for almost 20 years, but with the new introduction of generative AI, does the company face an existential crisis? Fund Manager Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss his thoughts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has met the President of the Philippines, and promised to be more engaged on the defence front and on trade. Plus, two ministers questioning the value of the Waitangi Tribunal continuing are rebuked by Luxon. And, Wellington feels the pinch of public servants being laid off. ZB Senior Political correspondent Barry Soper wraps the political week. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta has begun incorporating new versions of its AI-powered smart assistant software across its apps, which include Instagram, Whatsapp, Messenger and Facebook. Users can ask the software to create images, write love letters, write a cover letter and more... Tech commentator Paul Spain of Gorilla Tech tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the software being used inside apps by Meta makes AI more accessible. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sport journalist Jim Kayes and Newstalk ZB sport news director Clay Wilson join Heather du Plessis-Allan for the Sports Huddle. Is James Fisher-Harris the best signing in Warriors history? Do women need a smaller rugby ball? And, will NZ have enough netball players to make up three teams? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Law Society has penned an editorial saying we should be less critical of judges to protect democracy. The editorial warns being overly critical of judges could cause the public to lose confidence in the judiciary system. President of the Law Society Frazer Barton tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that it is okay to analyse, discuss and debate decisions but it is not okay to personalise it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift’s much hyped new album has dropped. The Tortured Poets Department features 16 songs, at one hour and five minutes duration. Newstalk ZB intern Ava Whitworth gave it a listen and tells Heather du Plessis-Allan just what the lyrics reveal. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angela Blackmoore’s murderers have been sentenced to life in prison. David Hawken and Rebecca Wright-Meldrum were found guilty of her murder last year and had their sentences handed down today, almost 30 years since the slaying in Christchurch. Angela’s former partner Laurie Anderson read a victim impact statement at the sentencing. He tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the family feel relief and a sense of closure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A US official has reported Israel has bombed Iran. Damage is being assessed as the world watches on at how Iran is going to react. Meanwhile, a complete jury has been selected in the criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has not let the defense know who the first witness is due to concerns the former president may post on social media about them. And, Elon Musk is funding a campaign to combat “relentess attacks on free speech”. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s track and field team has been named for the Olympics. Sportstalk host Jason Pine gives Heather du Plessis-Allan the lowdown on the 15-strong squad. Plus, Supercars are in Taupo this weekend, with five kiwis on the grid. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israeli missiles have reportedly hit a site in Iran, beginning a counter-attack after Iran fired dozen of missiles. A senior United States official has reportedly said missiles have hit a site in the Iranian city Isfahan. However, Iran is downplaying the attack saying the strike was not successful. Professor for International Relations at Otago University, Robert Patman tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the strike is very significant on many fronts with reports that Israel may have targeted nuclear facilities in Iran. The Biden administration have warned Israel not to retaliate against Iran and have expressed fears of the rise of the price of oil. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's talk about judges for a minute. So, the Law Society today has come out in defence of judges and in the face of all the criticism that they've been copping lately. The Law Society has asked that we please stop criticising the judges. It's in an opinion piece written by Fraser Barton, who is the president of the Law Society. He says the way that we're talking about the judiciary and their decisions might be harmful to this important institution. He says we are wrong to accuse especially the Supreme Court of Judicial activism. And, if we carry on the way that we are, it might end up with people losing confidence in the judiciary, which means that they won't trust the courts to look after them. Now, in a nutshell, I think what Fraser is arguing is that it is absolutely fine to criticise judges decisions, but we're not ok to criticise the judges themselves - including by using phrases like activist judges. Look, as a general rule, I think Fraser's got a point here, right? You should always try to play the ball and not the man, but sometimes the man is the problem, right? Some judges are going to be great and some are just going to be rubbish and that's how it is in any profession. And it is ok to say that person there is rubbish at their job and equally some judges will follow the rules and some judges will push the hell out of the boundaries. Some judges will do that consistently. They are called activist judges. I think it's also ok to point that out... otherwise, what are you supposed to do? Pretend it's not happening? Just look at every decision coming from a particular judge, say that decision's a bit dodgy, that decision is a bit dodgy, and that decision is a bit dodgy... but not point out that they're all coming from exactly the same judge and not point out that they're all coming from exactly the same court. For example, the Supreme Court - the Supreme Court is the problem right now. The Supreme Court is a very, very serious concern to a lot of commentators who are writing opinion pieces about this. So, basically in a nutshell, what they're doing is they're making law and they're introducing Tikanga Māori into existing law, which is a discussion for another day about how weird and wild that is. But it's actually the job of parliament to be making law. Not so much the Supreme Court judges who are not above criticism, right? We criticise absolutely everybody - we criticise the police, we criticise the hell out of the MP’s, we criticise each other in the media, criticise the public servants, we get criticised. That's healthy, that's how it should be. Otherwise, it's just a free for all, isn't it? What is unhealthy is pretending that there's a group of people who are so special that they are somehow above criticism. They are not above criticism, not when they're actively changing the laws in the country, which is not their job. They are absolutely 100 percent open to being criticised. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.