Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Eyebrow were raised as the Te Pati Māori MPs stuck to the political swearing-in requirements on the same day organised protests and marches kicked off. MPs are legally required to swear an oath or affirmation of allegiance to King Charles, to sit and vote in the House. Te Pati's MPs first pledged allegiance to their mokopuna and Te Tiriti, then the King. ZB political editor Jason Walls says the MPs avoided putting their pride and egos ahead of the people who elected them into Parliament. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Passenger train services in Wellington are at risk of being scaled back if more funding isn't found for maintenance. The Greater Wellington Regional Council revealed there was a multi-million dollar shortfall in funding for the capital's rail network. Council chair Daran Ponter says services could be cut in under a year's time if this shortfall isn't addressed. "We're talking about the wholesale closure of particular lines until the work is done. That means some services could be decreased by as much as 50 or 75 percent." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing evidence Kiwi supermarkets may not be drawing in as much profit as expected. Woolworths New Zealand’s profits have dropped 52 percent in the last full year- down to $76 million from over $158 million. First Retail managing director Chris Wilkinson says this is proof customers aren't being fleeced at the checkout. "There is a limit to what consumers will pay. Retailers have to try and get that balance right, and this is a really good example of what's happening across the sector." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi company Goodair has developed a drug-free solution to fighting nasal congestion. Nosebuds promise to enhance diaphragmatic nasal breathing in order to reduce the impact of pressure and drainage while providing pain relief. Inventor and designer Dr David White says the buds emit a humming sound that applies mechanical stress to the affected area. "A third of the population suffers from nasal congestion, either through allergy or infection. That's commonly treated through pharmaceuticals- which all have negative side effects." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Workplace Relations Minister says she's disappointed unions are mis-characterising plans on Fair Pay Agreements. Elements of the Government's moves to repeal the policy were leaked to media last night. CTU President Richard Wagstaff subsequently told press he was upset unions had not been consulted about the plans. But Brooke Van Velden says his comments are not true. "Look, I was sworn into Government on Monday, and on Wednesday I sat down with both Business NZ and the Council of Trade Unions." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protesters in Whanganui are celebrating shutting down the courthouse during a national day of Māori action. Te Pati Māori led a march on Parliament this morning and car convoys disrupted traffic across the North Island. It's calling the Government's approach to Te Tiriti - and other initiatives affecting Māori - an assault. Whanganui iwi leader Ken Mair says they'll act again on December 20, and ask all Crown agencies in the region close for the day. He says closing the court today was a challenge to a corrupt system. "And we'll continue to do this, as uncomfortable as it may be, towards those that want to continue to uphold that system." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Māori Development Minister says today's protests were lawful - but he believes his Government will deliver for Māori. As many as 800 people marched on Parliament this morning to protest policies they consider racist, and other marches and action were held around the country. Tama Potaka says the Government isn't planning to change its policy agenda. He says they're following commitments made in their 100-day plan. "What we're really focused on is delivering outcomes and working with communities- Iwi communities, Māori communities and others- to make the changes to the inequalities we see on a daily basis." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has opted to keep the OCR on hold for the time being. The cash rate is set to stay at 4.35 percent, with economists citing moderating inflation as the main factor behind the decision. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says inflation is reducing at a positive pace- but time will tell what the market looks like in January. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing claims local Government needs reform. A number of councils are proposing double-digit rate rises for the next financial year, or face cuts to essential services. They're grappling with high interest rates, inflation and looming infrastructure costs. Future of Local Government Review Chair Jim Palmer says a new operating model is badly needed. "That includes some form of re-organisation, but there needs to be investment in the leadership competency of local Government, both at a political and executive level." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So we had the National Māori Action Day protest today. The protests took place across the North Island this morning and they were big, impressively so. There were an estimated 300 cars at the Auckland protest, there were about 50 on the Southern Motorway- which created a 3km backlog- and there were over 100 people at each of the Hamilton, Whakatane, Rotorua, Tokoroa, Taupo and Palmerston North gatherings. That is impressive, those numbers. Because from what I can see, those people were activated by the Māori Party in about 24 hours. If I'm not mistaken, they put up their social media posts yesterday, it got into the news yesterday- and all of those hundreds of people turned up to protest today at 7am. Regardless of whether you agree with the Māori Party and what they advocate for or not, it is pretty impressive that they managed to get that many people together in such a short space of time. That tells you two things, I reckon. One is that there's a lot of emotion out there about what the Government is planning to do in the race relations area. Those protests, when you think about it, were actually about nothing- but also about everything. There wasn't just one thing that those people got out to protest about. Nothing has actually happened. If you listen to the number of things people were protesting over, it was a smorgasbord of reasons why they were out there. The promise of the Government doing anything in the race relations area got those people emotional enough to go out. Secondly, if the Māori Party can activate that many people when nothing has happened in only 24 hours, imagine what they can do when something actually does happen. For example, when ACT's Treaty principles bill goes to Parliament. That bill has the potential to trigger a referendum- if it actually gets passed through Parliament. There's no evidence that suggests this will happen, but imagine how big the protests could be based on what we saw today. I know that not everybody takes the Māori Party seriously, because they're all about the spectacle. A lot of the stunts that they pull are clearly meaningless and make themselves look foolish to a lot of people. But do not underestimate them. Because they are dominating the conversation on the first day of Parliament. We aren't talking about the new Government sitting in Parliament for the first time, we're talking about the Māori Party today. And I suspect this will be the first of many days where they will dominate over the next three years. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The White Ferns have lost their first ever twenty20 series to Pakistan at home, after conceding game two by ten runs in Dunedin. Chasing 138 for victory, New Zealand were 29 for four in the sixth over with Suzie Bates the only top four batter to make double digits. Georgia Plimmer and Hannah Rowe rallied late with 28 and 33 runs respectively but both were dismissed at the death. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what this means for the state of womne's cricket. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More information has come to light about the slip that brought Omid Scobie's book into the public eye. It was revealed that his agent sent a draft manuscript of Endgame to be translated into Dutch- a version that named the royals who expressed concern about Archie's skin colour. Omid Scobie himself has remained adamant that he never put the names of the royals involved into print. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it's looking likely that the royals will take legal action. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Te Pati Māori has called for people to come together to protest the Government’s “assault on tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi”. Is this setting up another bad week for the new Government? How big will the turnout be? Auckland's City Rail Link is set to cost ratepayers $220 million per year, once it opens up. It's also looking likely the CRL will miss the November 2025 deadline- is this better or worse for Aucklanders? What did we think of this year's Cop28? Is it a bad look to have people coming together in the United Arab Emirates to reduce emissions and fuel use? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has expressed concern with the scale of financial challenges left behind by the former Government, which she is still uncovering. She's accused her predecessors of leaving the books in a much worse state than they appeared in the pre-election unveil. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says a lot of Government projects were funded on a short-term basis- and Willis shouldn't have been too surprised. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police and Waka Kotahi are working together to prepare for possible disruptions from protests planned by Te Pāti Māori. The party has proposed a nationwide day of action tomorrow against the Government's Māori policy and are rallying people to protest across the North Island. ZB political editor Jason Walls says it would be difficult for Te Pāti Māori to bring people together on a national scale, so it'll be interesting to see how the day goes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts claim New Zealand's ongoing failure to deal with bad debt is costing the country over $2 billion per year. Debt management firm DebtManagers says a human-centred and customer-led approach to debt will reduce the issue- as the current one-size-fits all approach isn't helpful. Executive director Charles Whiting says adding interest and collection fees is counter-intuitive to getting debt repaid faster. "We talk about people going into arrears- often debt is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to issues they're experiencing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing accusations the previous Government was disingenuous on finances. The Government books were opened in September in the pre-election reveal - but Finance Minister Nicola Willis says she is now surprised how many projects' funding is about to expire. Willis says the true scale and urgency of the situation wasn't made clear to her before she started. "The effect of the Government not having funded these projects is that it made their books look better than they might otherwise have looked." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'll tell you what's going to be really telling tomorrow with those Te Pāti Māori protests- it's how big they are. It's basically going to be an indication of how much pushback and resistance the new Government's going to get on its plan to roll back the Treaty out of law like they plan to do. I reckon for tomorrow, every single party in Parliament is going to be interested in that crowd size. Te Pāti Māori will obviously want it to be big, because it shows that they're onto something- that they have support for their resistance. ACT, on completely the opposite side, is also going to want it to be big, because the bigger those protests are tomorrow, the more it's going to annoy motorists and people trying to get on with their jobs. This will drive more support to ACT, for what they're planning to do. Plus, it's also going to draw more attention to the things ACT are arguing for- which they won't be unhappy about. National, out of all of the parties in Parliament, is going to be packing itself if those protests are big. Because that is the very thing National has been trying to avoid when they said no to ACT's Treaty principles referendum. National does not want to have a race relations debate while they're in Government, it would reflect really badly for them. Remember the 2005 election, which they lost, with Don Brash's infamous billboards. They are still haunted by that stuff, they are still haunted by the fact that they are labelled racists over that- they hate it. But it seems to me that regardless of what they do, simply because ACT is around- they're going to get it anyway because of all the other stuff. To be fair, along with ACT and New Zealand First, they're repealing co-governance, they're taking the Māori wards on the councils back to referenda, they're removing the Treaty principles legislation, they're removing the Iwi clause from Oranga Tamariki, they're switching Government names- and that's just a taste. And that seems to be enough to give Te Pāti Māori reason to start campaigning already and going hard already. If tomorrow's crowds are small, maybe this won't be a thing, and it'll be an indication people don't care as much as Te Pāti Māori thinks they do. But if those crowds are big- strap yourself in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand has won the first Fossil of the Day award at COP-28 in Dubai. It's been awarded for the National-led Government’s campaign promise it'll revoke the last Government’s ban on offshore oil exploration. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says Labour got the same award last year. He says it's just a distraction from the summit's real business. "We're focused on the things that really matter, and that's engaging with our national partners when we get over there on the ground. It's something that happens, but it's in the background." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Huge support for a Te Whatu Ora employee accused of taking bulk Covid vaccination data. Barry Young appeared in Wellington District Court today, after data was posted on a conspiracy website. The 56-year-old appeared this morning, then returned to the dock this afternoon, and was granted bail so long as he's released by 1pm tomorrow. Herald Open Justice reporter Ethan Griffiths says Young was cheered inside and outside the the court. "The public gallery was absolutely packed to the brim with supporters who gave Young a standing ovation when he emerged from the cells. Outside court, there were a handful of supporters with signs as well." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protesters vowing to cause gridlock on highways tomorrow say they aren't fearful it'll alienate people. Te Pāti Māori are asking supporters to take to the streets in a nationwide day of action. It says the Government's policy programmes are an assault on tangata whenua and Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Te Runanga o Ngai Te Rangi Iwi Trust's Paora Stanley says regardless what Maori do, people will be annoyed at them. "There's a lot of hate going around as it is. People were going against Three Waters not because of what it stood for, but because it was pro-Māori in their view." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The allure of the All Blacks jersey remains strong. That's the view out of New Zealand Rugby after Beauden Barrett's call to re-sign through to the end of the 2027 Rugby World Cup. He'll be available for test matches next year and the Blues in Super Rugby Pacific from 2025 after his sabbatical in Japan. NZR's General Manger of Professional Rugby, Chris Lendrum is 'stoked' to have Barrett re-joining them for the foreseeable future. "He's played 123 tests for New Zealand, he's been World Player of the Year on a couple of occasions, he's one of our greatest All Blacks." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's biggest supermarkets are set to be scrutinised in a Senate inquiry investigating their prices. Coles and Woolworths have been accused of profiteering during an inflationary period marked by increased food costs. Australia correspondent Oliver Peterson says the supermarket duopoly dominate the market- and people are feeling ripped off. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Rugby have welcomed the coveted signature of Beauden Barrett for another four years. The hybrid playmaker's resisted the temptation of further lucrative overseas deals and will remain available to the All Blacks and the Blues until the end of the 2027 World Cup. He'll be available for test matches next year after a season with the Toyota Verblitz in Japan. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland ratepayers will be saddled with a bill of roughly $220 million each year to run the City Rail Link - once it opens. Chief executive Sean Sweeney says the project is 80 percent complete, but there's no guarantee the November 2025 deadline will be met. Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges says there's no excuse for these extended cost blowouts and delays. "It's created a huge amount of problems. Just by the cost blowouts, the fact that this has taken too long and there doesn't seem to be a particularly good end in sight." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taxpayers Union has offered themselves up to re-brand Government departments on the cheap. The organisation wants to redesign logos at no cost, for departments required to be renamed under the new Government. Campaigns Manager Connor Molloy told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they don't want tax payers money spent unnecessarily, when agencies use the change as an excuse to do a full brand refresh - even though they have no competition. Molloy says the union will also create better brand guidelines and consistency across the public service. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark doesn't understand why the coalition government is yet to accept amendments to the World Health Organisation's regulations. The W-H-O is reassessing its guidelines for how countries should act in public health events, such as during a pandemic. Chris Luxon says he wants to make sure the amendments align with New Zealand's interests. Clark told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that she believes New Zealand First may be influencing the Prime Minister. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's new Minister for Auckland, Simeon Brown, and Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown met today for the first time since National took office. The pair talked congestion charges, abandoning Auckland's light rail and ditching the regional fuel tax. Simeon Brown told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the meeting "went well", despite having previously clashed on issues like the Regional Fuel Tax. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Labour MP and minister Steve Maharey has resigned from the boards of Pharmac and ACC. He got in trouble earlier this year after penning opinion columns flouting the political neutrality expected of public service board members. There were also calls for his resignation after inappropriate emails were sent within Pharmac about journalist Rachel Smalley. Patient Voice Aotearoa's Malcolm Mulholland told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's pleased to see Maharey go. Mulholland says he's hoping Chief Executive Sarah Fitt is the next to exit. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Phoenix midfielder Chloe Knott Has spoken out following her sudden departure from the club this evening saying on X that her “values no longer align with the club or current management”. The club released an official statement earlier today claiming that the decision to step back from Football was due to the challenges of balancing a fulltime job and part-time A-League commitments. Newstalk ZB's Sports Contributor Jason Pine told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that her comments where a "Parting Shot" at the club LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Royal expert says it would be highly unlikely for the Royal Family to sue Piers Morgan. The TV host named two senior royals accused of voicing concerns over the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son Archie's skin colour, reportedly causing the royal family to consider legal action. Royal Correspondent Victoria Arbiter told Heather du Plessis Allan that historically the institution prefers not to give claims like this more publicity. But she says the claims are very damaging, and have the potential to cause long-term issues. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talk show host Piers Morgan has named the royals who allegedly raised 'concerns' over Prince Archie’s skin colour. Shortly after Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame was pulled from shelves in the Netherlands after accidentally revealing these senior members, Morgan took things into his own hands. UK correspondent Enda Brady won't name these individuals, but says it's easy to discover these identities online. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Nick Mills from ZB's Wellington Mornings joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! More Wellington Councillors are calling on Tory Whanau to resign after she admitted to having an alcohol problem. Is there any way back for her now? Consumer NZ has launched legal action against Z Energy amid accusations of greenwashing. Is this a valid action? Will this be good for consumers? More New Zealand schools have banned Crocs because they're starting fights among students- is this a good idea? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Charlie Munger, investment guru and sidekick in Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway project, passed this week. Munger served as Buffett’s sounding board on investments and business decisions and led Berkshire as vice-chairman for decades. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds says Munger was an instrumental part of Berkshire's success alongside Buffett. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Surprising news out of the opposition, as Hipkins reveals his shadow Cabinet picks. Many of the roles are a continuation of the portfolios MPs served while ministers in government- but some have been changed. The Country's Rowena Duncum was surprised to see Jo Luxton take over the Agriculture role, and wonders what that means for Labour's future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's renewed optimism from New Zealand's business leaders about the state of the economy. In the latest ANZ Business Outlook survey, confidence increased by 8 points to +31 in the results for November. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains this boost in optimism. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins says there could be Labour MPs within his caucus uncertain about their political future. The Labour leader has outlined his shadow cabinet, revealing which MPs have what portfolios. He says none of his MPs have confirmed they plan to leave politics - but wouldn't rule out if he's had conversations colleagues about bowing out. ZB political editor Jason Walls says he wouldn't be surprised to see Damien O'Connor bow out of Hipkins' cabinet. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genesis Energy is making moves to meet its promise of producing 95 percent renewable energy by 2030. The company plans to use profits from Kupe gas field to support a $1.1 billion programme to build solar and wind generation and grid-scale battery storage. Chief executive Malcolm Johns says it's likely Genesis will meet their target within the coming years. "We're not starting from a cold start, we have a number of things under way, particularly in the area of solar and wind development. Battery will take us about 18 months to put in place, we're pretty confident." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After 24 seasons, the Wellington Lions are set to ditch Sky Stadium and downsize their venue for NPC rugby matches. It was revealed today that discussions have taken place- and the Lions will hold future matches at the Jerry Collins Stadium amid low attendance and challenging finances. Rugby commentator Ken Laban disagrees with this decision- and doesn't think it's the right way forward. "I don't think the answer is to give up on the community and give up on the people supporting Wellington by going to a much smaller stadium- and in comparison, a very underwhelming venue." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Labour Party leader says National's throwing away years of work for ideological reasons. Chris Hipkins has unveiled his shadow cabinet, and vows they're ready to hold the Government to account. Prime Minister Chris Luxon's revealed his 100-day plan, which includes reinstating the Resource Management Act- which Labour repealed. Hipkins says it won't take the country forward. "They were banging on for years about how flawed the RMA was and how it needed to be overhauled. And now they're wanting to go back to the RMA, so it's not like they're going to drive something forward- they just seem to want to throw everything into reverse." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland mayor Wayne Brown's public transport plan is being praised. The Public Transport Users Association says his idea to cap total transport costs at $50 a week will mean big savings for people who live further away from the CBD. National Coordinator Jon Reeves says allowing people to use pay-wave instead of HOP cards is great too. "That makes it a lot easier, because I know a lot of people around the city who say- I can't use public transport, don't know where to get a HOP card from, all that jazz." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former mayor is coming to the defence of Wellington's under-fire leader Tory Whanau. Mayor Whanau has admitted she has a problem with alcohol- and is getting help. Councillor Nicola Young is calling on her to resign, citing concerns about the City Council's reputation. It comes after another incident in which Whanau is alleged to have been publicly intoxicated. Former mayor Justin Lester says Whanau has done a great job. "She's been a great ambassador, she's been out leading the charge and getting Wellington's name out there." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brittany Higgins today admitted to getting some key details wrong while being cross-examined in court. Lehrmann has brought a defamation case against media figures over an interview with Higgins in which she alleged she was raped in Parliament House. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Higgins admitted to not having the best memory- but her evidence is as true as she could get it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Rugby is planning a shift away from Sky Stadium for home matches after a 24 season association. Discussions between the union and the Porirua council are advanced to hold all Lions and Pride games at Jerry Collins Stadium from next year. The move comes as provincial unions battle low crowds and challenging finances to connect the provincial game with stakeholders and fans. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what this means for the next season. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ is accusing Z Energy of profiting from misleading sustainability messaging. The organisation teamed up with the Environmental Law Initiative and Lawyers for Climate Action New Zealand Inc to seek a High Court declaration for Z's breaches of the Fair Trading Act. Chief executive Jon Duffy says the evidence contradicts Z Energy's climate-focused public messaging. "We don't think that stacks up, and consumers shouldn't be misled into thinking that their purchase of an inherently damaging product is somehow better at this company over other companies." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, courts could be handing out rehabilitative community sentences over short-term jail sentences. The Sentencing Council for England and Wales says judges and magistrates should focus on reforming offenders, amid an overcrowding crisis in prisons. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says courts are also being encouraged to rethink jailing women because of the long-term impact on children. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Kiwiblog contributor and pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has admitted to having an alcohol problem, after another incident of public drunkenness got recorded. Is this acceptable behaviour for an elected official? How sympathetic should we be? Prime Minister Chris Luxon revealed his 100-day plan today. The plan is comprised of 49 actions, including repealing Three Waters, Auckland's Fuel Tax and the ute tax- and establishing major targets for the health system. Will these plans help New Zealanders in the long run? Winston Peters has been accusing reporters of taking bribes, and Luxon came to Winston's defence. What do we think of Luxon's management- is he being too soft on Winston? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The incoming Government has agreed to disestablish the Productivity Commission, as ACT requested. Staff are disappointed, yet unsurprised, as many were concerned the agency had become too politicised. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says there were already tensions between chair Ganesh Nana and former staffers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has come to the defence of his deputy's scathing attacks on the media. Winston Peters has been accusing reporters this week of taking bribes, in reference to the $55 million Public Interest Journalism Fund. Applicants to the fund were asked, when appropriate, to produce funded content to support NZ identity, culture and public interest requirements, including support for the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. But, overriding this in NZME's funding agreements - a clause specifically requested by the company - is an acknowledgement of the absolute editorial independence. Chris Luxon says he wouldn't describe the fund as a bribe - but he doesn't support it either - similar to many New Zealanders. ZB political editor Jason Walls says it's clear Luxon isn't interested in intervening- and he's going to let Winston be Winston. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retirement village operator Ryman Healthcare has posted a lower-than-expected half-year profit. The company had earned $186 million after tax for the six months to September, a 4 percent decrease from 2022. Chief executive Richard Umbers says this loss is driven by a more subdued housing market. "The housing market is under pressure. That impacts our ability to sell, which inevitably has a flow-through effect on the business." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.