Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The life and legacy of Fa’anana Efeso Collins has been celebrated at the Manukau Events Centre. Thousands of people, including Prime Minister Chris Luxon, former rugby stars and politicians from all sides came together to pay their respects to the late MP. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Efeso really left a mark in Parliament during his short stay. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NSW's Police Commissioner has taken the first steps to remove Beau Lamarre-Condon from the state's police force. Lamarre-Condon has been accused of murdering Sydney couple Luke Davies and Jesse Baird several days ago. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Lamarre-Condon allegedly carried out the murder with a police firearm - sparking an investigation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand seamer Matt Henry is leading the way on the opening day of the first cricket test against Australia at the Basin Reserve. He's taken three wickets to have the tourists 166 for five early in the final session. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington's mayor is celebrating a controversial multi-million dollar development deal. Wellington City Council today agreed to continue with its plan to buy the land under the Reading Cinema complex for $32 million. The complex will then be rented back to the company, with the funds used to pay for quake strengthening. Tory Whanau couldn't go into specific details around certain aspects of the plan. The mayor says she's very happy with the level of detail she has. "And essentially- this is a loan. We are using a loan to be able to redevelop this property in our city centre." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

British MPs facing threats to their safety can opt for extra security as part of a new package. £31 million has been allocated to help protect concerned politicians, amid growing safety concerns since the war in Gaza began. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this could include extra bodyguards for MPs who are most at risk. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Sarah Trotman from Business Mentors and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Newshub shocked employees with the revelation they planned to shut down newsroom operations by the end of June. Do we just have to accept that the news sector in New Zealand will continue to shrink? Is there a point to push tech companies to pay for news? The Reserve Bank has confirmed that the OCR will stay in place at 5.5 percent for the time being. Is this a relief? A clip of David Seymour speaking in a Canadian accent is making the rounds on social media. How weird was this to hear? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank Governor says inflation is still too high to consider cutting the OCR. Adrian Orr held the OCR steady at 5.5 percent today, in line with most economist's expectations. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says the Bank's on the right track to bringing down inflation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank Governor has held the Official Cash Rate at 5.5 percent today, as expected by most economists. Adrian Orr says there was discussion on whether to bring in a small hike, but the Monetary Policy Committee concluded holding was the right move. Milford Asset Management's Katlyn Parker analyses the market reaction to this announcement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis wants to exempt some trusts from paying the new 39 percent trustee tax rate. She hinted the Government planned to modify the bill aimed at lifting the trustee tax rate from 33 percent to 39 percent from April 1. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains how Nicola Willis plans to determine these exemtions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins has given a seething speech in the House, slamming the Government's unwinding Labour's smokefree laws. The legislation had restricted retailers who can sell cigarettes, and banned people born after 2008 from buying them. A Bill scrapping the moves is now in its first reading. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says he's never seen behaviour like that from an MP. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the US, President Biden and former President Trump have won their respective parties' Michigan's presidential primaries. Both candidates are still likely to enter an electoral rematch in November, according to political experts. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Trump and Biden hold a clear lead over the other candidates. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps will be without Devon Conway for the first cricket test against Australia in Wellington, with more damage revealed to his left thumb. Conway suffered the injury while wicket-keeping in the second T20 at Eden Park. Additional scans revealed extra issues with the thumb. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what this means for tomorrow. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch Airport has pulled back and put their controversial Tarras airport project on hold. Chief executive Justin Watson announced that all future work on the airport would be delayed, saying more time is needed to examine the overall impact and consult with local and national stakeholders. Christchurch city councillor Yani Johansen suspects short-term financial constrains caused the delay. "We've got massive amounts of things we need to focus on, there are much greater priorities than a new international airport in central Otago." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Building back trust is next on the agenda for the rat-plagued Countdown Dunedin South. It reopened today, after being closed for almost three weeks for pest management procedures. Woolworths Stores Director Jason Stockill says foot traffic was down today, but they're determined to regain customers' faith. "We know it's going to be a slow process, but we've got to get the confidence back into the community. Our team have been doing a great job keeping in touch with the community." Stockill says finances have taken a hit, but customers are the priority, and are today being treated to free coffee and chocolate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a clip of David Seymour making the rounds on social media that has viewers scratching their heads. In the interview, recorded in 2010, the ACT leader was recorded speaking with a clear Canadian accent. Seymour says he adopted the accent during his time overseas to blend in with the locals. "I know people that have lived outside their home country for 30 years, the accent still flickers- and there's other people who are kind of like chameleons in some terms, it's the way people are." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists at our biggest bank expect the Reserve Bank will increase the Official Cash Rate. ANZ's changed its forecast, now predicting 25 basis point hikes in February and in April. That would take the OCR to 6 percent- from its current 5.5. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner says the Reserve Bank said it was very close to hiking it again in November. "Since then, they've had a series of small, but very consistent surprises that do suggest that inflation's just going to take a bit longer to get back to target." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warner Bros. Discovery's Asia Pacific president reckons shutting down Newshub at the end of June is the best way forward. Staff were shocked as the company announced they would close down Newshub's newsroom and website- blaming financial headwinds and a tough advertising market. President James Gibbons says he's come to the conclusion this is the right approach. "We've certainly come to the conclusion this is the best way forward, but we really do welcome hearing from both the team- and indeed all news stakeholders in New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Uncertainty over the future for hundreds of Newshub workers, following the shock announcement its newsroom will close. Warner Brothers Discovery executives told staff today they're shutting the newsroom and website, from the end of June. The former-Mediaworks news company says it's battled financial headwinds and plans to focus on streaming service, ThreeNow, not news. Media commentator Bill Ralston is predicting he expects more media failures over the next six months. "Once you start chewing into losses of $100 million, and then more, and then more on top of it- it becomes unstoppable." Ralston expects some who've lost jobs will head overseas. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he's 'living proof' the country isn't racist. This is off the back of a recent controversy involving newly-suspended MP Lee Anderson making some Islamophobic comments during an interview. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Rishi Sunak is trying to save face during the 'dying embers' of his tenure. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Matt Heath from Radio Hauraki and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Former Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash went on a verbal bender today to prove how committed he was to being tough on crime as Police Minister. Leader Chris Hipkins has accused him of breaching confidentiality terms- is this fair? What is Stuart Nash trying to prove? A rat-infested Dunedin Countdown is getting ready to open the doors again tomorrow morning- if none are spotted overnight. Would you trust this Countdown again? Luxon's challenging assumptions that Premier House is condemned following comments from the Australian cricketers, but he's taken issue with the building. Should he try to fix it for the sake of our international reputation? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As several trade ministers come together for this week's WTO meeting in Abu Dhabi, some experts are less hopeful. Stephen Jacobi, the executive director of the International Business Forum, says there's no chance of an agreement for further cuts to agricultural subsidies and tariffs. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains why he's less than optimistic about this gathering. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration NZ have found themselves in hot water for failing to do enough risk analysis for migrant workers. A review of the Accredited Employer Work Visa Scheme has found the department had insufficient checks and balances for preventing migrant exploitation. BusinessDesk's Pattrick Smellie says this feedback could send the wrong signal for the future of immigration. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Aggregate and Quarry Association says urgent intervention is needed to avoid delays in construction projects in the Upper North Island. Auckland reportedly ran out of sand fit for construction purposes, and the quarry industry head says an interim fix is needed to get projects back on track. CEO Wayne Scott says they've been on the cusp of a major shortage for 12 months before the end of 2023. "The National Policy Statements that came out last year for Indigenous Biodiversity and Highly Productive Land have severely impacted on the ability of quarries to get consented." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir John Key believes the time was right to step down as chair of the country's biggest bank. Key has been working with ANZ's Australian and New Zealand boards since 2017, and became chair in 2018. He says the bank is in good shape and they had an obvious replacement in mind- so he knew he was ready to retire. "The timing seemed about right for me, and it's a pretty good time for the bank as well." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nursing recruiter says programmes for overseas trained nurses aren't enough for them to develop the necessary skills to work in New Zealand. Canterbury nursing jobs have been listed stating overseas nurses who have just recently completed the competency assessment programme won't be accepted. Gore Hospital recently had 80 international nurses apply for a job, but none had the needed experience. Accent Health Recruiter Prudence Thomson says it takes a while for overseas nurses to understand our health system. "They just need a lot of supervision and induction from senior staff, and there's not enough senior staff on hand to supervise." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countdown Dunedin South's intense pest management days may be behind them. The store's been closed since February 10 after multiple continued rat sightings. If none are spotted overnight, MPI have given them the all clear for opening tomorrow. Consumer NZ's Jon Duffy says rats have a bad name - but people need to have faith the pests are being properly dealt with. "You've got to trust that MPI are doing their job in making sure that it's safe, and that they've got the exterminators in- and that they've done their best." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Virgin Voyages won't be having a second season down under. Next summer's sailings of the Resilient Lady are cancelled in New Zealand and Australia to avoid growing tensions in the Red Sea. New Zealand Cruise Association CEO Jacqui Lloyd says they'll be monitoring this situation closely. "We do have vessels that travel down from Alaska, they come from Asia, they might be based over in Australia for the winter period- so they're easy access to get into New Zealand. But we are watching those in the Med to see any challenges." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Immigration New Zealand's boss says it's unacceptable staff concerns were ignored. The Public Service Commission's released its report on the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme, which began after a whistle-blower alerted the Minister to a lack of checks and balances. The review has found Immigration New Zealand should have done more to minimise migrant exploitation risk, when regulations loosened post-Covid. MBIE Chief Executive Carolyn Tremain says concerns were first raised internally last April. "What has occurred here is not good enough, and we're making sure that we have a two-way conversation with people about issues." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is taking the first steps towards dismantling the Māori Health Authority. A Bill to bring about its end will pass under urgency tonight, with the Authority being scrapped for good by June 30. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Minister Shane Reti has claimed axing the Authority will improve healthcare for all New Zealanders. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New South Wales police are still searching for missing Sydney couple, Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. They've accused 28-year-old constable, Beau Lamarre-Condon, of murdering them in Baird's home. Detectives are again scouring a rural property visited by Lamarre-Condon, after finding nothing yesterday. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the accused constable is refusing to co-operate with the ongoing search. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black Caps paceman Neil Wagner has called time on his international cricket career. The 37-year-old left-arm pace bowler will bow out after two-match series against Australia, but appears unlikely to play them. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains his impact within the sport. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data has revealed a sharp spike in people using their phones behind the wheel. The latest figures show over 42,210 offences by phone-distracted drivers had been recorded in the first nine months of 2023. Prime Minister Chris Luxon has also claimed he's willing to increase the $150 fine for distracted drivers. Brake NZ Development Director Caroline Perry says it's 'disappointing' that so many people are choosing to take this risk. "A lot of people are still choosing to put both their own lives and the lives of others at risk by doing this." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Government has announced £4.7 billion will be used to fund transport projects outside big cities in the Midlands and northern England. It’s a redirection of funds from the scrapped northern legs of the HS2 rail line. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this announcement has been met with mixed reactions from the Opposition and prospective voters. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Child Fund Chief Executive Josie Pagani and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Hundreds of people, including fellow politicians Chloe Swarbrick, Carmel Sepuloni and Chris Hipkins, came to Auckland to pay tribute to deceased MP Efeso Collins. What will people remember about Efeso's legacy- or political promise? New legislation will soon ban gang insignia in public places. Courts will also be able to issue orders to stop members consorting with each other. Will these proposed changes get past the Bill of Rights? Ginny Andersen has apologised publicly for her controversial comments about Police Minister Mark Mitchell. Was the apology honest enough? Should she face more consequences? Former Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett has confirmed she's considering taking a run at Auckland's mayoralty next year. Will she appeal to voters? Will this split right-leaning voters. After 27 years, Hamilton is now the fastest-growing city in New Zealand. Is this surprising? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several trade ministers from the World Trade Organisation are expected to gather over the next few days. The MC13 gathering, held in Abu Dhabi, will be co-chaired by New Zealand's own Trade Minister- Todd McClay. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says New Zealand has a lot to gain over this timeframe, if McClay does well. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of school building project plans may need changing. The Government is launching a Ministerial Inquiry into cost overruns, with up to 350 projects possibly in peril. Already, the Education Ministry has frozen major projects at 20 schools. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Government's message about 'wasteful spending' sets the tone for the upcoming budget. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Hill is boosting its presence in Australia as New Zealand sales drop amid ongoing thefts. Overall half-year earnings were down by 55 percent on last year, with New Zealand being marked as a 'laggard' for the company. CEO Daniel Bracken says Australian consumers are feeling more positive about the state of their economy than New Zealanders. "There's been a number of things at play in the New Zealand market. Not just the economy, but political turbulence, Government taking time to get formed, new polices taking time to get issued." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is committed to ensuring the fees-free policy is shifted to the final year of tertiary education, rather than the first. Questions have been raised about the effectiveness of the scheme, after data revealed there was no discernible evidence it helped low decile school students into university. Minister Nicola Willis says fees-free for first year students has failed in its stated objective to boost university attendance. "Our approach is about rewarding students who actually achieve what they go to their tertiary institution to achieve- that is, they complete their classes and they do a good job." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Water has again failed to meet fluoridation targets. The water provider says there's been a drop in fluoride levels across the region over the past four months, so it has been unable to meet targets 95 percent of the time. It's blaming equipment issues, treatment plant outages and workplace health and safety improvements. Chief Executive Tonia Haskell says there's been maintenance issues at a couple of plants. "We put the new kit in Gear Island treatment plant- it was over Covid and it wasn't up to the level that we wanted, but we needed something in there in a hurry. We're now going to have to go back and buy something good, that's coming from Germany." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 27 years, a new rival has overtaken Tauranga as New Zealand's fastest growing city. New data shows that in the year to June 2023, Hamilton grew by 3.4 percent while Tauranga only grew by 2.5 percent. Hamilton mayor Paula Southgate says a new uptick in migration and high birth rates have contributed to this population boom. "We're a very young city, our median age is 33. So families are choosing to put down roots and stay here." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Australian crime expert says a ban on gang patches across the ditch has had benefits. In New Zealand, legislation will soon be introduced to Parliament banning gang insignia in public places, letting police issue dispersal notices, and courts issue non-consorting orders. It'll be in force later this year. Queensland University of Technology's Mark Lauchs says a similar law in Queensland had a clear impact. "When the patches disappeared, when you didn't have 100 Harley-Davidsons riding down the road together, the level of perception of safety went way up." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Education Minister has blamed her predecessor over school project cost overruns. The Government promised to launch a Ministerial Inquiry to investigate the problems with the school property system. Minister Erica Stanford says the previous Government has created a 'pipeline' of projects they were unable to deliver on. "Here I am, as a new Minister trying to get on with curriculum, and pedagogy and assessments and making sure our kids are achieving at school and turning up- and I have a pipeline of 350 schools that the Ministry are not able to deliver on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, NSW police have laid out a timeline relating to the disappearance of Sydney couple, Jesse Baird and Luke Davies. Police have accused 28-year-old constable, Beau Lamarre-Condon, of murdering them in Baird's home, then making multiple trips to a rural property. It's now being scoured for the missing pair. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says police have had to widen their search over the past few days. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World Rugby insist they've set the correct threshold in the men's game for a head acceleration event that requires an off-field assessment. Triggers set off via newly sanctioned smart mouthguards saw Chiefs midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown and Crusaders lock Quinten Strange undergo an HIA in the opening Super Rugby match of the season. Both players appeared to question the need for them to leave the field. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains the extent of the confusion. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Student accommodation costs have never been higher, as first year students struggle to make ends meet. Auckland University Student Association president, Alan Shaker, says he knows many students who need to work full-time, on top of studying full-time. He says their most expensive room is $510, up from $470 last year- a significant increase in their accommodation fees. The weekly student allowance gives eligible students $360 dollars and a living cost loan of just over $302. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm finding it quite amusing listening to the critics line up to tell us all the reasons why the Government's ban on gang patches won’t work. Clearly, they don't remember what happened in Whanganui. Ultimately, the Whanganui gang patch ban hit the same trouble that this Government's gang patch ban might also hit, which is the Bill of Rights Act. But before it hit that trouble, it actually worked. There was a 15 percent drop in the number of serious patched gang members living in Whanganui in the first 9 months of the bylaw The reason for that is because they were either locked up, or they left town to get away from it. And that’s exactly what's happened in Australia as well. Queensland was the first to ban the gang patches in around 2016. As a result, a bunch of gang members left the state. The number of patched gang members ended up, at one stage, as low as 139. After that, a bunch of other states followed. So in the end, it seems the gangs have ended up in Canberra because they know the bleeding hearts there will never do something as harsh as banning gang patches And as a result, they have a huge number of shootings in Canberra now. Now, our trouble is that we can't drive the gang members into another state. If we have a nationwide gang patch ban, it applies everywhere. But I reckon what might happen is that gangs will move from areas that are well policed, where they get grief for their patches- to areas that are not well policed where they can march around freely with their patches on. And that’s not ideal, because actually you want to get rid of them altogether. But it’s an improvement on the current situation, where they are everywhere with their patches on. So I think this is a case of ignoring the critics. If this plan gets across the line, it’ll work. It already has in the past. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Tauranga commissioner says they've been given a mandate to make Long Term Plan decisions. The city's commissioner's have been criticised for doing that, before a council election in July. Proposals include rent increases of 240 percent for charities and not-for-profit organisations. This has come under fire. Commissioner Anne Tolley told Heather du Plessis Allan making Long Term Plan decisions wasn't their call. She says it was the decision of the Minister who extended their time and gave them instructions to put the plan in place. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All three IVF providers in the US state of Alabama have now suspended their services after the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that an embryo is a child with all the rights of a child. IVF providers who are now worried they're going to be in legal trouble for discarding these embryos. Andrew Murray is group medical director of Fertility Associates. He told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that this is the beginning of a worrying trend in the US LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift fans all over Australia and New Zealand are getting ready to enjoy the Sydney leg of the Eras tour, including those hard of hearing. Marni Van Vliet is a sign language interrupter for concerts all over Australia. She says Told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that there are so many reasons to go to concerts, even when you are hard of hearing. Saying deaf people want to experience a historical moment just like everyone else. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Union for the Public Service worker says that our border security is at risk of customs, goes ahead with staff cuts. Customs are seeking voluntary redundancies and early retirements in an effort to save money. National Secretary for the Public Service Association Duane Leo told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that ironic because this government has talked about being tough on crime in terms of organised crime and now our borders might be at threat again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.