Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Another blow for New Zealand's media sector, with new research showing overall trust is down. AUT's centre for Journalism, Media and Democracy reveals only 33 percent of Kiwis view the news as trustworthy, plummeting 20 percent from 2020. AUT researcher and report co-author Merja Myllylahti says more people believe the media has a political bias. "Quite a lot of comments there saying- the media seems to be biased to the left. But quite often, you get comments from the people going- it's too biased to the right, too biased to the left, it's kind of a mixed bag." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a good chance consumers might be wasting their money if they pay for high-speed internet without the right equipment. The Commerce Commission's RealSpeed report revealed that broadband speed depends significantly on the strength of the router and devices as well. Commerce Commission spokesperson Ben Oakley says they're urging consumers to think about the quality and placement of their router while they spring for high-speed internet. "As I said, there's no point in paying for Ferrari-level speeds and getting stuck in second gear." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Social Development Minister says the Government is determined to get more New Zealanders into work. The Government has set nine targets to complete by 2030. One is reducing numbers of people on the Jobseeker Support Benefit by 50,000. Minister Louise Upston says it's a worthy goal to get more people earning their own income. "I'm unwilling to write off people- whether they've been on the Jobseeker Benefit for a matter of months or years. The opportunities that come from work are so significant." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hawke's Bay Rugby Union is ensuring a gang-related disorder that ruined a Hastings game doesn't happen again. Eight Young Maori Party players and their coach were inside a van peppered with shotgun pellets as they fled the match against Tamatea Arikinu on Saturday afternoon. No one was injured, and police say there's no ongoing risk to the public. Union chief executive, Jay Campbell, says Tamatea won't be hosting home games for the foreseeable future. "Until such time they can prove to us that they can run and operate home games that deliver safety for our officials, players and spectators- then that will be the staus quo." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, there's growing concern users of older phones could be barred from making emergency calls in the coming months. Australia's 3G network will be shut off after 20 years, in order to free up room for more 4G and 5G technologies. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says there are still areas in the country that can't connect to 4G or 5G yet- and this puts people at risk. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Lawson's hopes of a Formula One seat this year may have been boosted after RB Honda driver Daniel Ricciardo crashed out of the Japanese grand prix. Ricciardo is under pressure to improve or risk conceding his spot to Lawson. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Christ Church Cathedral rebuild is at risk of being mothballed if an extra $30 million isn't found by August. The total cost of the project is estimated to be at almost a quarter of a billion dollars, according to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research. Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Limited chair Mark Stewart says they've turned to multiple sources to fill the financial gap. "We're looking for support from central Government, from the Christchurch City Council, obviously the Anglican Church itself, in terms of hopefully getting some money." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, the news media has just been given a a massive wake up call. A report has just landed from AUT showing how much trouble the media is in. These guys talked to more than a 1000 people to find out what they think of the media and they found trust in the media has fallen from 53 percent in 2020 to 33 percent this year. That is big. Four years ago, half of us trusted the media. Today, only a third. And this is not a blip, it's fallen every single year from 2020. It's gotten smaller in '21, smaller in '22, smaller in '23 and then smaller in '24. And the main reason? Bias. 87 percent of respondents said the reporting in the news is biased and not balanced and many respondents shared the view that mainstream news was "clearly biased to the left". And that is not their imagination, because that backs what journalists say about themselves. There was a study a couple of year ago asking Kiwi journos which way they lean, and 81 percent said left-of-centre. People aren’t dumb. They see it - and now we find out it's the main reason why they don't trust the media any more. Now this isn't a revelation to you and I, because we have discussed this for years now on this show -that the left leaning bias is problem for the media. And we are seeing it play out right now, with this new Government being given absolutely no honeymoon whatsoever because their conservative, liberal and centre-right ideas are an anathema to left-leaning journalists, who rail against it every single day. Now the real question is, can the media turn this around? And I'm going to make a prediction- no. Because this isn’t a revelation to you and I, but I genuinely think newsrooms up and down this country don’t believe this is true. That is my experience of talking to editors in various media. They don’t see it, or they do and they make excuses. If if they wanted to change it, the bias is so deeply ingrained it’ll be very hard to undo. So really, the benefit of this research is probably not for the legacy media, because they probably can’t change things. It's for you and I- to tell us we’re not imagining it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The leadership shake-up at Fletcher Building continues with CFO Bevan McKenzie announcing he will quit later this year. Earlier this year, Fletcher Building posted a 26.7% drop in earnings and an after-tax loss of $120 million. Simplicity Founder and Fletcher shareholder Sam Stubbs tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the company has been poorly governed but that it is hard to know where exactly responsibility lies. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netball NZ has announced the re-appointment of Dame Noeline Taurua as Silver Ferns coach. Dame Noeline has unmatched experience, though other strong contenders were likely to be in the running for the coaching position. Meanwhile, the New Zealand Rugby Players' Association (NZRPA) has called for the New Zealand Rugby board to step down and Tiger Woods is apparently practicing abstinence to prepare or the Masters. Adam Cooper and Nick Bewley joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss this week’s sports news. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a competitive interview process, Netball NZ has re-appointed Dame Noeline Taurua as Silver Ferns coach on a two-year contract. Netball NZ CEO Jennie Wyllie tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the two year contract allows a check-in point before the next pinnacle event – the World Cup. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new jobs platform aims to match employers and potential employees based on their values. Founder of Futureful Izzy Fenwick tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the concept allows employees to put their name in a pool for future jobs – not just those currently being advertised. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced a two-year delay to changes to NCEA. Auckland Grammar Headmaster Tim O’Connor tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the delay comes as a relief after poorly communicated time frames previously caused confusion. Five different websites must be visited to access information on the change rollouts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT Party Leader and Associate Minister for Education David Seymour called today’s School Strike 4 Climate ‘unacceptable’. He tells Heather du Plessis-Allan children’s absence from school for the strike is ‘not accepted as a justified reason’. Seymour believes education has fallen down the range of priorities. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey appeared blindsided by news that the Suicide Prevention Office was closing. Doocey insisted the office would remain open despite Deputy-Director General of Health announcing the office would merge into a wider directorate. Labour health spokesperson Ayesa Verall weighed in that the closure was at the behest of the Government. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden has had his first phone call with Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu since the strike that killed aid workers. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that Netanyahu admitted the Israeli defense forces were to blame and assured Biden that the Israeli government is going to announce measures to prevent a mistake like this happening again. Meanwhile, Donald Trump is having trouble in the courts and the likelihood of going to trial before the November election is up in the air. And, workers in California may be legally allowed to ignore messages from bosses after the work day ends. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the Government is currently looking into tax legislation for charitable entities, hinting that he wants charities who run like profitable businesses to pay tax. Charity Researcher Dr Michael Gousmett tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that New Zealand has been a little slow on updating its legislation. Legislation introduced in 1891 never expected commercial operations of today’s scale. Dr Gousmett says there is a provision in the Income Tax Act that could solve this problem without needing to change any legislation at all, but that it would be very difficult to ascertain how much tax companies would pay. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My disagreement with David Seymour on truancy has been short-lived this week - because I could not agree more with him today. Those kids out bunking school today so they can strike for the climate should be marked down as truant: Explained but unjustified absence. I think I'm less tolerant of it today than I was when these shenanigans first started up because at least the ones who were striking back in 2019 when their messiah Greta Thunberg was leading them seemed to be genuinely motivated by the delusion that the opinion of children counted. Now though, the reality must have set in. They can’t apply enough political pressure to actually affect change. You can have as many children out striking on the streets as you like - if they can’t vote, it doesn’t matter. Plus, we have a truancy crisis. We've been talking about this for months now. Regular attendance at school has fallen from 70% in 2015 to 40% at last count in 2022. The truancy crisis is more of a pressing threat to their future than the climate crisis. They are frankly at greater risk of being unable to do maths than they are at risk of a wave eroding mummy and daddy’s beach house. What are their parents thinking allowing them to do this? What a shocking attitude towards their education at a time when everyone in this country knows they need every minute in the classroom they can get. Anyway, my favourite part of their strike is that they have now expanded their kaupapa. No longer is this just a strike about the climate - it is now also about toi tu te tiriti, it is about freeing Palestine, ending the fast-track approvals bill, keeping the ban on oil and gas, and lowering the voting age to 16. It's about everything, basically. Everything except the most important thing they could be doing as children... learning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, the Sunak-led Conservative Party stands to face a historic defeat, according to new polls. The latest data predicts only 11 Conservative MPs will have seats in Parliament by the time the upcoming election wraps up. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the Party has plenty to be concerned about. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Josie Pagani from Child Fund joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Government is making local councils who introduced Māori Wards without public referendums in the last few years have a referendum at the next local body election - or scrap the wards. Is this good for democracy? There's less outrage at CEOs bringing in huge sums of money- has society moved past this? Does the nation have bigger problems? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first quarter of 2024 is in the books for global investors- what can that tell them going forward? Asset prices were strong all over the world, house prices have risen and oil and gold are enjoying an extra boost. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists and farming experts believe there are economic benefits to selling off Pāmu. The state-owned farming company runs runs 110 farms around the country- with a mix of dairy, sheep, beef, deer and forestry. The Country's Jamie Mackay unpacks the benefits of selling this land off to boost Government finances. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand faces a $1 trillion bill over the next three decades to improve infrastructure, ASB warns. This involves bringing existing infrastructure up to scratch and future-proofing it to meet new challenges - including climate change. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains the likelihood of covering these costs. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is changing the Building Act to address a shortage of supplies and long wait times for new products to be approved. This will include green-lighting products with a reputable overseas certification and recognising approval schemes used in countries like Australia. NZ Construction Industry Council chair Malcolm Fleming is pleased the Government is working to address this problem. "In my view, this is the industry's biggest issue- starving demand for new construction. What's important also in the announcement from the Minister and Prime Minister earlier today is looking at broadening the product availability." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The owner of one of Auckland's most prominent waterfront bars has described the moment armed police stormed in to arrest a pair accused of violently kidnapping a woman on Auckland's North Shore. Police descended on Headquarters Bar on Auckland's Viaduct to apprehend and handcuff the man and woman, who had just ordered drinks. Leo Molloy suspects the police were given intel- as it was a very quick arrest. "They had access somehow, because they knew. As soon as those two settled in, about two minutes later I saw two cops walk down marketplace- they were clearly together...they circled round the outside of the building." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pioneering day for professional women's basketball in this country. Player wages in the five-team Tauihi league will double this season - meaning female players will earn more than their male counterparts. The season is also shifting from a July to an October start, with international expansion likely next year. Sky Sport head of commercialisation Justin Nelson says the league has attracted a good range of corporate partners to fund this pay increase. "This is a competition that started a couple of years ago, with some fantastic corporate partners coming on board- G.J. Gardner Homes, a few others through that growth period - they're coming back." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The newly implemented Aotearoa Histories Curriculum has faced some bumps in the road. A report from the Education Review Office claims not all schools have been able to fully integrate the curriculum one year on. NZ History Teachers’ Association spokesperson Craig Thornhill isn't surprised by these findings. "There are a lot of positive things in there, but teachers are busy. And I've been hearing the Minister say that she'd like to provide more support for teachers- and I think that's a positive thing." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A little bit of good news- The Government is restoring democracy to councils around the issue of Māori wards. The Government's made the announcement this afternoon that the rules are going back to the way they were. If a council wants to set up a Māori ward, ratepayers will again have the option to petition and force a referendum and potentially, if they want to, overturn that plan altogether. And also, all the councils who did set up Māori wards under the Labour Government in the last three years will either have to remove those Māori wards or hold a referendum next year. By my count, that’s about 45 councils that are going to have to do that. This includes Hamilton Thames-Coromandel, Tauranga, South Taranaki, Stratford, Napier, Wellington City, Nelson, Masterton- the list goes on. Now, why I'm pleased about this is that it actually looked like this wasn’t going to happen. It was in the coalition agreements last year, but then last week there was a leak that Cabinet had decided to put this on the backburner. Now either that leak was wrong, or the leak created drama- and the Government decided it was better to go ahead with it. The second reason I'm pleased about this is because ratepayers should call the shots on what happens on their councils- don't you think? The only reason those 45 councils were able to set up those Māori wards in the last 3 years is because Labour stopped ratepayers from having that ability to petition and force a referendum. Willie Jackson and Nanaia Mahuta (who was the minister at the time) weren’t even ashamed of the fact that they were removing a democratic trigger. They knew that's what they were doing, they said that they disagreed essentially with the principle of majority rules. Now, this is not to say that the ratepayers of all 45 councils will necessarily veto the Māori wards. In some areas, the ratepayers might love it. More power to them. It’s not an idea I think has any merit, but as I say, that's the call for the ratepayers of that region. Already though, the shrill stuff has started. Waatea News is reporting that the Government is bringing 'back the white veto on Māori wards'. So expect that that’s the tone that’s coming on this. But really, what this is actually about is ratepayers telling councils what to do, not the other way around. And that’s exactly how it should be. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Local Government Minister says Māori wards on councils should be a decision for the public. Simeon Brown's announced the referendums will be reintroduced, which reverses the previous Government's legislation removing the requirement. It also means Māori wards established since must now hold a binding poll, or disestablish the wards. Brown says about 45 councils will have to go to referendum. "What the coalition Government has said is that we believe that if councils wish to put in place these Māori wards- that they need to ask the voters." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Referendums will soon be required in local communities to determine whether to introduce Māori wards. The coalition Government has introducing a bill to reverse Labour's removal of referendums on the matter - a commitment under both ACT and New Zealand First's agreement with National. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says these changes are long overdue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has slammed the IDF's explanation following a deadly airstrike that killed 7, including an Australian aid worker. Albanese said Israel's defence - that the World Central Kitchen aid convoy was misidentified - wasn't 'good enough'. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Albanese has since called for a full inquiry into the matter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White Ferns are searching for a partnership to stick in their second ODI against England in Hamilton. Chasing 253 for the win, New Zealand was 103 for four after 29 overs - having lost regular wickets. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave recaps the ongoing match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foodstuffs' North Island trial of facial recognition technology is under the microscope. An inquiry by the Privacy Commissioner will monitor the way stores are running the trial to make sure it's compliant with the Privacy Act. Commissioner Michael Webster says at the end of the six month trial, he'll make an assessment of the results. "We'll also be considering other matters in terms of our concerns that we highlighted sometime back about the nature of this privacy intrusive technology being used in this sort of retail setting." Webster says they also want to hear from customers about if and how the trial is impacting them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three British aid workers killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza have been named following the attack. They were among the seven World Central Kitchen workers killed in Monday's airstrike- the charity has since paused operations in the region. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains the impact of these events. LISTEN ABOVE See 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! David Seymour aims to provide more public health advice around sending sick kids to school in order to cut down on poor attendance rates. Do we need harder limitations? Is it better to send sick kids to school, rather than keep them home? A new report says Gen Z staff are more difficult to work with, citing confusion around workplace expectations and slang barriers. Is this an unfair generalisation? Research from Te Ara Ahunga Ora The Retirement Commission shows there's a 36 percent gap between the amount men and women are putting into KiwiSaver each year. What's causing this divide? Can it be addressed? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More bad news for Synlait Milk following their recent half-year net loss. The company's shares are down almost 70 percent in the last year. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains how the company can reduce debt and improve their condition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's biggest banks are pushing back against measures to share their data and increase competition through open banking. The Commerce Commission wants financial technology firms to link up with the banks- and have urged the Government to crack the whip. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says this issue has been going on in the background for several years. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has offered overseas secondary teachers a faster route to citizenship to address shortages. Secondary teachers have been moved from the Green List Work to Residence pathway to the Straight to Residence pathway- and they can now apply for residence offshore. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says a recent report labelling Kiwi kids the worst behaved in the OECD won't appeal to new graduates from New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hurricanes are dealing with a million dollar loss while their team rides high at the top of Super Rugby. While franchises don't make their finances public, the $1.4 million loss for 2023 has been revealed as a result of figures released by the Wellington Rugby Union. Hurricanes director Iain Potter says it was a bad year for the franchise for many reasons. "Some argy-bargy with the Australian Rugby Union, creating greater uncertainty around what the competition was supposed to be delivering, probably a little bit of rugby fatigue, probably people are looking for different things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's city centre has outpaced New Zealand in both GDP and employment growth for the second year in a row. According to an Infometrics report, GDP in the city centre grew by 9.2 percent in the year to March 2023, reaching $30.4 billion. Employment was up 7.3 percent in the same period, compared to the equivalent increase of 2.5 percent for the rest of New Zealand. Patrick Reynolds, the Council's City Centre Advisory Panel deputy chair says this growth is more than a post-pandemic bounce. "There's been a heap of investment - in both private investment and especially streetscape renewals and upgrades and the shift away from just black tarmacs of cars." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to new research, there's a significant gap between the KiwiSaver contributions of men and women. Te Ara Ahunga Ora The Retirement Commission has released a report revealing that women contribute 36 percent less on average yearly than men. Commission policy lead Dr Michelle Reyers says women are more likely to stop working to fulfil care-based responsibilities- or work in part-time roles. "What we saw from this research is that women and men are actually contributing exactly the same percentage of their salaries- but when we look at the dollar value, that's where that big gap is coming from." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rotorua locals are upset after a much loved statue was stolen. The bronze statue of a stray dog named Harawene has been cut from its base and taken. It was put up following her death in 2008. Fiona Cairns, who led the fundraising committee to build the statue, says it'll be less worth than what the thieves think. "I would say they think they're going to sell it and make a few dollars. It's a hollow statue, she doesn't weigh that much." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Education Minister Erica Stanford says a shortfall of secondary teachers is chronic across the country. The Government has announced a residency fast track for overseas teachers, in a bid to plug the gaps. Stanford, also the Immigration Minister, says by the end of the year we'll be 227 teachers short. "Next year- rising to about 550 and then the year after that, 679. And when I saw those figures at the end of last year, I believe it was, I had a small heart attack because those are big numbers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taiwan's strongest earthquake in 25 years has killed at least four people, with dozens more injured. Video shows buildings half collapsed in the county of Hualien, near the quake's epicentre. Taiwan correspondent William Yang says while the casualties appear to largely be in that area, the disruption has been more widespread. "In the capital city here in Taipei, all metro lines have been suspended for more than an hour, and also the high-speed rail that runs along the west coast of Taiwan was also suspended." The quake triggered tsunami alerts for southern Japan and the Philippines, which were later downgraded. There's 137 New Zealanders registered in Taiwan, and 428 in Japan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden has rebuked Israel over an airstrike which killed seven aid workers in Gaza. Australian Zomi Frankcom was among those killed when the convoy she was travelling in was hit by an Israeli airstrike. Israel's military has apologised, saying it happened after a misidentification. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Biden is more than outraged. "He's accusing Israel of not doing enough to protect Palestinian civilians." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's confirmation Sam Whitelock will retire rather than add to his 153 All Black appearances after his time with French-club Pau. The 35-year-old's ended speculation of a return to New Zealand Rugby. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canterbury's regional council is putting in new procedures to manage a backlog of consent applications. In the last six months of last year, Environment Canterbury were penalised more than a million dollars due to processing delays. But since December, 75 percent of applications have been completed within the legal time frame of 20 working days. Chair Peter Scott says they're ensuring there's a clearer path to prevent a backlog. "There's also legislation change that has changed in the last 6 years, so every time the Government puts a new piece of legislation- that affects our consenting." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm mostly with David Seymour in that we need to get kids back into class, I'm with him in that we need to slash truancy rates- and there needs to be a very good reason for kids to miss school. I would even go so far as to say this is right up there in top 5 things that need to be sorted in this country. But where we part company is on his call to get kids back into class even if they’re sick. He's quoted some data, wrongly by the way, showing that health related school absences have doubled since Covid. I've looked at the data, they haven't doubled, and David's actually not right. It's up by 30 percent- maybe. If I fudge the numbers a bit for him, I could stretch it to 60 percent. But he has overcooked it. Nevertheless, what he plans to do is release some guidelines in the next few weeks giving parents advice on what kind of sickness they should keep the kid home for, like Covid, and what kind of sicknesses they can send the kids to school with- like a sniffle. But I dunno, a sniffle is not a objective thing, is it? A sniffle to my boss, I've discovered, is basically what you and I would consider the flu. Look I can see the argument for carrying on while sick. Kids keep getting educated, workers keep being productive, that's good stuff. But it’s not smart. If you're sick, you need to get better. And if there was one positive thing that came out of Covid, it was us learning to stay home if we’re sick and not infect others. It honestly gets on my nerves now if someone who works closely with me, like my boss, comes to work sick. I don't want that. I don't want to struggle through work for a week because old mate didn’t want to stay home. It also gets on my nerves when people bring their sick kids around. Be responsible, keep that sick kid home. I don’t want a toddler waking me up at 3am with gastro. I'm a working mum, I don’t need that. Put this in context, these are the actual numbers- Health related absences were at 5.3 percent in 2019. They rose last year to 6.9 percent, that's not massive. And if it is because we are more considerate now with trying to avoid infecting others, that's fair enough. Because I've always believed there is only one reason you can miss school and it’s cause you’re sick. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Controversial author JK Rowling has challenged Scotland's new hate crime laws- and encouraged them to arrest her if need be. The new law states 'stirring up hatred' relating to age, disability, religion and sexual and gender identity can be punishable with a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Rowling's remarks - or a potential arrest - could create an awkward situation for authorities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Auckland councillor Richard Hills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Two Wānaka New Worlds may have to deal with some financial fallout after they stayed open on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, breaching Easter trading laws. Is this a sign Easter trading laws need to go? Prime Minister Chris Luxon has been accused of running New Zealand like a business after he unveiled the next phase of his plans for the country- to be completed by June 30. Is this a fair criticism? The Department of Conservation paid nearly $500,000 to kill a single stoat in Fiordland. The final bill included things like incident management teams, staff time, dog handlers, and helicopter and boat expenses. Was this all worth it? JK Rowling has fired back at Scotland's new hate crime laws and invited police to come and arrest her. What do we think of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.