Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

All three parties in the incoming Government have agreed on a coalition deal- which will be signed tomorrow. A joint statement from Chris Luxon, David Seymour and Winston Peters has announced negotiations to form a government that will deliver for all New Zealanders have concluded. ACT party leader David Seymour says the new Government will be ready to tackle the 'substantial' challenges impacting New Zealanders. "I think ACT has got a very strong policy agenda as part of what will be our shared Government policy- together with New Zealand First and National, I think we'll be able to start tackling those problems." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A controversial sex education book for teenagers that was pulled from shelves in Australia has been given an unrestricted rating by our chief censor. The classification means parents can decide for themselves if the book is right for their teenagers. Family First spokesperson Sue Reid says they've got concerns around the age appropriateness. She says the book is pitched at 14 year olds, but looks like a handbook and has juvenile animations. "We don't think it is clearly targeted at the 14-year-old market- it's definitely aimed at a younger market and that's what we're concerned about." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gang members from around the country are expected to descend upon Auckland for a tangi. William 'Bird' Hines' farewell is expected to be the largest gang funeral in New Zealand history. He had years of poor health from type two diabetes and was released from prison on compassionate grounds. The Herald's Jared Savage says he had a ferocious reputation and younger gang members looked up to him. "He did a lot of very bad things, he had a very staunch obsession with violence and kidnapping- those sort of violent stand overs. He was pretty much the first meth trial in New Zealand's history back in 2000." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think David Seymour has reason to be pretty salty if he isn't given the Deputy Prime Minister’s job. This is not really about whether the job is really a job or whether it's just ceremonial. The fact is- it is a title. And that title implies seniority, it means whoever gets the Deputy Prime Minister role is the second most senior person in the Government. And it would be pretty bizarre if National gave that to Winston Peters over David Seymour, given how many times National told us before the election they really didn’t want to have to work with Winston. Chris Luxon said it, Chris Bishop said it, Nicola Willis said it- and they weren't subtle. Nicola Willis said: “I don’t want to go into Government with NZ First" Now we understand they didn’t have a choice about going into Government in the end, but that is very different to making Winston the second most senior person in Government when he doesn't even have the second biggest party in the Government. It would be pretty insulting to David Seymour, especially given how close Seymour and Luxon worked together in the lead up to the election. The best argument for Winston to get the job is experience, but I'm not super convinced by that argument. There is a long list of people who’ve gone straight into the Deputy Prime Minister's job without having done a single day in Cabinet before. Don McKinnon under Jim Bolger, Geoffrey Palmer under David Lange- you can go back through history and find more. Probably the thing that counts most against David for the job is that he’s plugged so hard for it when he’s previously made is sound like he's not interested in the baubles of office. But then again, that’s something he and Winston now have in common isn’t it? Probably the easiest solution to this problem is to not pick between the two of them, but split the job instead. Whether with a time share- one does 18 months then hands it over to the other to do 18 months, or we just have two Deputy Prime Ministers. But it still doesn't solve that awkward problem, does it? The guy who the Nats really did want to work with is now sharing the job of equal seniority with the guy they really didn't want to work with. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has made it clear that the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands is not up for discussion. Argentina's new Prime Minister Javier Milei recently claimed it was time to 'get them back' and his Government would work to get sovereignty. In a 2013 referendum, the people of the Falkland Islands voted 99.8 percent in favour of remaining a UK overseas territory. UK Prime Minister Gavin Grey says several other ministers have chimed in and claimed the Falkland Islands are UK territory. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Nicola Willis has confirmed she won't be the Deputy Prime Minister, and Luxon said she was never in the running. Is this true? Who are our picks for the role? The incoming Government will have to find a quarter of a billion dollar to give ECE educators pay parity- because their predecessors didn't budget for it properly. What other harmful surprises are waiting in the wings? SailGP has made the decision to not stage the event in Auckland in March 2024. Is this a loss for the region? Are we excited for Black Friday this year? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's early signs that mortgage rates could be on the downswing again. New Zealand's wholesale interest rates have fallen sharply over the last month- and both the two-year and ten-year swap rates have dropped. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says banks still have yet to move their rates down, despite these early signs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nvidia's latest quarterly results have surpassed expectations amid increased demand for AI. Demand for Nvidia’s graphics processing units has been exceeding supply, and the company has tripled its year on year revenue. Milford Asset Management's Felix Fok explains why the company is thriving amongst the AI wave. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon says he didn't lobby for his party deputy, Nicola Willis, to be Deputy Prime Minister. The role remains one of the last sticking points of Coalition negotiations, with policies and other ministerial positions largely agreed. Willis today said she wasn't in the race and Winston Peters or David Seymour are likely to get the job. ZB political editor Jason Walls says it's looking likely that Winston's the new favourite to take up the role as Deputy Prime Minister. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk has confirmed that advertising revenue from X, formerly Twitter, will be donated to war-torn Gaza and the hospitals in Israel. The move comes amid increased backlash against Musk, after he posted support for anti-Semitic content on the site. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Apple, Disney and IBM have already paused advertising on X. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fruitful season's in the wind for Kiwifruit growers this year. Zespri's seasonal November forecast projects record returns for all its fruit crops. The fruit company is putting it down to growers' efforts to improve quality, despite harsh conditions in recent years. Zespri Head of Global Public Affairs Michael Fox says strong market demand, respect for the brand and strong supply chain partnerships will boost Zespri's returns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Used car distributor Turners Automotive has gone from strength to strength in recent months. The company saw revenue increase 16 percent to $213.9 million, while its after-tax profit rose by 8 percent. Chief Executive Todd Hunter says the combination of a shifting market and a successful ad campaign is helping the company sell more cars. "It's the Tina effect, it's been very good for our lead generation. We're buying a lot more cars off people, we've opened more branches so we're in more places, it's a combination." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are firing back at the assertion that the perfect steak can be cooked in the microwave. One scientist recently made the bold claim that the best way to prepare a steak is to skip traditional cooking methods- and heat it with a microwave. Beef + Lamb Chef MacLean Fraser says it's unlikely that microwaving a defrosted steak will produce the best result. "There's a few things you should never do- never swim in a calm spot at a surf beach, don't drink and drive, don't count on Winston Peters and don't microwave your steak." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new Government needs to find a quarter of a billion dollars to settle a pay parity deal with early childhood teachers. A previous cost estimate for the settlement was found to be vastly too low. NZEI says the outgoing Government committed to paying teachers. National Secretary Stephanie Mills says problems in the sector must be sorted - or things will only get worse. "If we want to stop the real churn in the sector, people going to Australia and the loss of morale, the Government really does need to address this." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited today confirmed that SailGP has chosen not to stage their March 2024 event in Auckland. The unavailability of Wynyard Point land as a spectator facility proved to be a barrier, as the land had been contaminated by oil tanks from the old tank farm. Chief Executive Nick Hill says it was always going to be a long complicated process to get that land back. "You need to get to a point where the land could be handed back, and they had no obligations back to the council. If you start using that land- they'll turn around and say you caused the problem." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel has agreed to a hostage swap with Hamas, but it's unclear where all the people kidnapped from Israel are. The assault on Gaza will be paused four days, in exchange for 50 women and children kept by the Palestinian military group. Israel says it will return three Palestinians for every hostage - and each 10 hostages released will extend the pause on hostilities another day. Times of Israel US Bureau Chief Jacob Magid says some hostages are being kept in underground tunnels. "And not all of them are even with Hamas, there are roughly 30 hostages that are also being held alive in post-Islamic Jihad." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's hosting of a SailGP event next March on Waitemata Harbour has come off the foils. The unavailability of Wynyard Point land as a spectator facility proved an insurmountable barrier for the event owners. No alternative option has been offered yet after Lyttleton hosted this year. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explores some possible solutions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tech commentator is warning people to apply due diligence to Black Friday shopping. Price comparison service PriceSpy found last year, about 15 percent of goods were on 'fake sale'. It found some retailers increased product prices in the weeks before the sale, then discounted them back to normal levels. Commentator Tim Provise says the tech sector is the main culprit. "Especially more niche stuff like camera lenses- and little things, like toothbrushes and stuff like that. I think the technology sector is the one where you've got to be really careful." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was quoted as saying the Government should have 'let people die' rather than impose a second lockdown, the Covid national inquiry heard. Former chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance noted on October 25, 2020 that Sunak, who was finance minister at the time, was against further lockdowns and dismissed the impact Covid had on the elderly. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Boris Johnson agreed the UK's elderly population had had 'a few good innings' anyway. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on the Huddle, former National staffer Ben Thomas 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! Waka Kotahi is under fire for spending thousands on pies for construction workers working on the Mt Messenger bypass project in Taranaki. Is this worth the outrage? The post-election talks have turned to delegating ministerial roles, and Nicola Willis, David Seymour and Winston Peters are all vying for the role of Deputy Prime Minister. Who would we pick? Does Luxon have to pick one candidate? National MP Cameron Brewer has copped backlash for his joke about the return of 'pale, stale males'. Is this a rookie error- or grave mistake? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers are calling on the incoming Government to repeal David Parker's controversial freshwater reforms. The advocacy group believes repealing the current freshwater regulations will be the quickest way to restore farmer confidence- which is at a historic low. The Country's Jamie Mackay says farmers are waiting with bated breath for these reforms to be scrapped. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Online auction site TradeMe posted a $4.7 million net profit after tax for the year to June, turning around earlier losses. Experts believe the return to profit came from the site raising their prices- especially in its property arm. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie explains how this increased net profit impacts TradeMe's overall earnings. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's trade deficit appears to be getting smaller, according to the latest data. A new report from Stats NZ says imports were down, falling $1.2b to $7.1b compared to October last year. Kiwibank economist Sabrina Delgado says increased interest rates are restraining demand and causing imports to fall. "We actually saw that our imports surged during the post-Covid period when we had quite a lot of loose monetary policy and expanded fiscal policy- we saw imports rose off the back of that, now we've got really high interest rates." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Belief opposing views could be behind the ousting of former OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. At least 700 of 770 staff at the company famous for creating Chat GPT have penned an open letter calling for the board's resignation after it fired Altman. Tech commentator Paul Stenhouse says no one knows for sure why Altman was shown the door in the first place. "This comes from CNN tech contributor Kara Swisher- he wanted to move super fast, he wanted to monetise everything, he wanted to go to market more quickly and the board wanted to be a lot more cautious." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's top court has turned down appeals from two water bottling companies in Canterbury. Cloud Ocean Water and Rapaki Natural Resources had extracted billions of litres from Christchurch's aquifers each year under a decades-old consent granted for industrial use. The Supreme Court sat in Christchurch for the first time earlier this year, and yesterday released its decision dismissing their appeal. Aotearoa Water Action chair Peter Richardson says he's thrilled with the decision - but it might not be over just yet. "It's perhaps not the end of the matter, it depends on what Cloud Ocean decides to do. They may surrender their existing consent and apply pressure for a new consent. But it would have problems." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Plymouth's mayor is hitting out at those opposing the Mount Messenger bypass project. A decision by Waka Kotahi to give construction workers pies has been under the spotlight and deemed wasteful by the Taxpayers Union. Waka Kotahi prices the pies at $400 a month. But mayor Neil Holdom says the pie criticism is a storm in a teacup. "And it's a reflection of the desperation, because most New Zealanders have moved on and realised- actually it's happening, it's a good thing and we should look after the workers that are on site." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electronics have been found to be the most likely product to come from modern slavery. World Vision has found New Zealand households spend $77 per week on average on products implicated in modern slavery. This includes clothing, toys, coffee, bananas, furniture, phones and laptops. Head of Advocacy and Justice Rebekah Armstrong says EVs, e-bikes and solar panels are also impacted. "It's really interesting that in the transition to cleaner energy, we're actually potentially using products that harm children and people in forced labour." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Deputy Prime Minister disagrees the role's largely ceremonial. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon has confirmed policies have been settled in Coalition talks - and negotiations have turned to ministerial roles. ACT's David Seymour made a public pitch for Deputy, but Luxon has downplayed the role's importance. Sir Don McKinnon was the deputy to Jim Bolger in his National Government, under the single-party system. He says under MMP it can be someone from a different party, but the duties are real. "You're there to do things that your leader, your Prime Minister, doesn't want to do, meet the people he doesn't want to meet, go to the places he doesn't get time to go to." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A prominent Auckland businessman has threatened legal action against Auckland Council if it votes to sell the Downtown Carpark building. Precinct Property was selected as the preferred buyer in September last year- and it plans to use the space to build apartments and office towers. Andrew Krukziener says the Downtown Carpark is a crucial asset to the city centre. "To take it away will diminish business in the city, it'll be terrible for Aucklanders and people who live on Waiheke who use that carpark as a connection point." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Punted Rugby Australia chairman Hamish McLennan has spoken of deep-rooted issues in the sport across the Tasman. It comes less than 48 hours after he was given his marching orders from the organisation's board, as the World Cup failure, appointment of Eddie Jones and a centralisation push came to a head. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Again, it's looking pretty positive on the formation of Government today. Here's the update for the day- The policy work is now actually done, all three parties have now reached agreement on the policy agenda for the next three years. This seems like a minor step forward from yesterday, because yesterday ACT and NZ First had reached agreement with National. Today, ACT and NZ First have signed off on each others’ agreements. So minor- but significant. Because that is the hardest and most complex part of the negotiations. The next bit is basically doling out the fancy jobs, and Deputy PM is fast becoming the one we’re all going to watch. Because this is also obviously a battle of the egos. David Seymour is making a big play publicly of wanting it, he said to the waiting media today that he deserves the job because the job should go to the second biggest party - and the second biggest party is ACT. It's kind of weird that he's putting up such a big fight publicly, given that he’s previously indicated he’s not so worried about portfolios and more interested in policy wins, but here we are. But David, as he said, thinks he deserves it because his party is the biggest of the minor parties. Winston Peters will likely think he deserves it because of seniority and because he’s done the job twice already. Nicola Willis reportedly wants it too, and you can make an argument for her getting it given National is miles bigger than both the little parties and she will be Finance Minister - Deputy PM will signal her seniority in Government. What none of them will say out loud but all of them will surely be thinking is that the Deputy is the one who gets to be acting PM when the actual PM is out of the country, which is why they all want it. I don’t envy Luxon having to pick between them- but maybe he doesn’t have to. He could break with convention and have not one but two deputies. One job for David, one for Winston and none for Nicola because she will probably have a more manageable ego than the other two. It's not an unprecedented idea, Fiji has three. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reports British police have interviewed comedian Russell Brand about alleged sexual offences. The Sunday Times and BBC claim the 48 year old was grilled at a London police station last week. Metropolitan Police say a man in his 40s attended a south London police station, under caution, in relation to three non-recent sexual offences. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it's likely authorities will press further with investigations into Brand's alleged offences. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and current affairs commentator Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! National's Chris Luxon says his coalition partners have made a breakthrough in post-election negotiations, but Winston Peters isn't on the same page. Who is trying to strongarm who in these discussions? Labour leader Chris Hipkins called for a ceasefire in Gaza yesterday- what do we think of this? How does this reflect on National? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

APEC leaders agreed on a reform of the World Trade Organisation- but many were divided on several other key issues. The ongoing conflict in Gaza and the Russia-Ukraine war divided leaders across the Pacific Rim during the two-day summit. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan recapped the highlights of the event. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon says he and his soon-to-be coalition partners have achieved a milestone in Government-forming negotiations. The incoming Prime Minister says the policy element of talks with ACT and New Zealand First concluded last night. Luxon says the last remaining step is formalising Cabinet positions - but the end is in sight. ZB political editor Jason Walls says NZ First and ACT still need to approve the final arrangements with National- and Winston Peters won't budge. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwisaver advisors are urging New Zealanders to care about where they put their retirement funds. National Capital's latest Value for Money report finds the difference between top and bottom-performing funds can be as much as 2.55 percent, or $88,000 by the time of retirement. Director and KiwiSaver advisor Clive Fernandes says it's import for Kiwis to consider several key factors before they determine where their retirement funds go. "You've got to take into consideration past performance- but also look at things like fees, capability, the stability of these companies, the processes they undertake to make a decision." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is celebrating a breakthrough in negotiations, claiming they've agreed to policy deals with NZ First and ACT. Despite what he called significant progress, Luxon wouldn’t say whether it was likely a Government could be formed by the end of the week. Finance Minister-elect Nicola Willis says all three parties still need to sign off on a final deal before the new Government is formed. "We're pleased that we've reached that significant milestone, because our focus has been on getting policy aligned this year. That's ultimately what the Government's going to be judged on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A $1.5 million project is underway to revert Rangiora High School's modern open learning space to single cell classrooms. Its giant classroom fitting 500 students opened in 2017 but was found difficult to work in, due to noise, visual distractions, and fluctuating temperatures. Principal Bruce Kearney says they're determined the open structure doesn't suit their vision for the school. "A lot of people talked about modern learning environments as being open barns- and they're not. What they're supposed to be is providing the ability for teachers, for students, classes, schools to be flexible." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iwi groups are proposing renaming the Hutt Valley suburb Petone as Pito-one. The bid to change the spelling and pronunciation is going before the City Council tomorrow, before eventually being seen by the Geographic Board. Pito-one is the original name, which was switched by colonial settlers. Palmerston North Maori Reserve Trust Chair Liz Mellish says many places in the area already use the old spelling. "There seems to be a real feeling in the community, we've got an apartment called Pito-one, we've got a café, we've got a football club." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says Labour leader Chris Hipkins' call for a ceasefire in Gaza was a surprise. Hipkins yesterday said he believes Israel's Defence Force's response has been disproportionate and indiscriminate. National's Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, Gerry Brownlee, says calling for a ceasefire has no point if both sides aren't willing to cooperate. Brownlee says National backs negotiating efforts from parties closer to the conflict- and that Qatari negotiators are doing a good job. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's David Seymour says he's no longer gambling on when coalition negotiations will wrap up. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon today announced the three parties have reached an agreement on policy. But the leaders of ACT and New Zealand First say they're not all the way there just yet. Seymour says he's closed his account at the TAB - given last week he wrongly predicted a deal was just days away. "So I'm not betting on this anymore, but I think we're a day or two away if I had to put a bet on it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia have won the Cricket World Cup for a sixth time, chasing 241 to beat India by six wickets with seven overs to spare in Ahmedabad. Man-of-the-match Travis Head made 137 off 120 balls. ZB sports commentator Elliott Smith recaps this victory. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boss of Australian telecommunications company Optus has resigned after a nationwide outage affected millions. CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin quit after a senate grilling last week. She'll be replaced by the Chief Financial Officer. A major cyber attack last year - also under her tenure - compromised personal documents of two million customers. Australia correspondent Oliver Peterson says her handling of the outage was criticised. "She was very reluctant to get onto the front foot, didn't say much- finally came in kicking and screaming to actually reveal what had happened." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warnings malls will only get busier, after shoppers at Westfield Newmarket were trapped inside the carpark for hours on Saturday afternoon. The Auckland shopping centre is apologising to customers left sitting in queues to get out for at least three hours. Newmarket Business Association's Mark Knoff-Thomas says demand will only rise the closer we get to Christmas, with Black Friday likely to be the busiest yet. "We want to be ready for that. There are lots of options- buses ae available, trains are available, people can car-share and if you do take your car, you've got to really plan your time." Knoff-Thomas says Saturday's bad weather, combined with Black Friday pre-sales, to cause road congestion. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A survey of our 200 largest and fastest growing tech exporters shows the sector is booming. Revenue for the so-called TIN 200 increased 11.8 percent to $17 billion in the past year. Current Managing Director at TIN, Greg Shanahan, told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that “the sector is reaching maturity, and the number of large companies is growing dramatically”. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auditor General has slammed the public service after looking at how tax payer money is spent. He's found a lot of them don't measure whether the money they're spending is making a difference. Performance measures for the Education Ministry include how many times the website is visited. Former Work and Income boss Christine Rankin told Heather du-Plessis Allan the timing of this is evident. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland Doctor has been found to have committed professional misconduct after writing thousands of prescriptions for ADHD medication without specialist approval. Dr Tony Hanne argued that he saw a need to prescribe the medication to help people with the diagnosis. Heather Du Plessis-Allan spoke to Clinical Psychologist Dougal Southerland who said although he agrees there are negative consequences for people with ADHD if not treated, he did not agree with what the doctor did to get the patients medication. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Act Party Leader says we are still days, not hours, away from a government arrangement. Today marks two weeks since the official vote count, and party leaders say they're getting close to a final deal but negotiations are expected to remain in Auckland over the coming days. Winston Peters earlier said the finish line was closer than people thought, but David Seymour told Heather du Plessis Allan there are still a number of steps ahead. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Signs Winston Peters is pleased with today's progress in government-forming talks. Party leaders say they're getting close to a final deal but negotiations are expected to continue in Auckland over the weekend. Peters earlier emerged from a two-and-a-half hour meeting with Luxon. Political Editor Jason Walls told Heather du Plessis Allan he was chipper. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rishi Sunak is determined to push through emergency legislation to resurrect his plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda. The UK's Supreme Court had previously ruled this proposal was unlawful in a unanimous rejection. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Rishi Sunak outlined his next steps to push the legislation through before Christmas. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.