Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

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.

Tonight on The Huddle, Nick Mills from ZB's Wellington Mornings and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The three main parties have stayed quiet about the details of their coalition negations, but some National MPs have said they're close to forming a Government. What do we think of this? Are we over the waiting period? Auckland Council is making progress on proposed congestion charges, with Wayne Brown being particularly eager to get these charges going. Is this a money-raising exercise? MFAT staff have reduced their use of Te Reo in official documents released to the incoming Government- is this a bad look? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been a significant upswing in global equity markets in the past couple of weeks. The Nasdaq is up by 12 percent, the US Equities Market is up by 10 percent, Europe's markets are up by 6 percent, and even China is reporting an increase. Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explains this current burst of optimism, and what to expect from 2024. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alliance Group this week announced a significant loss for the 2023 financial year. The co-operative lost over $70 million, as geo-political tensions, inflationary pressures and weakening global markets continued to affect the red meat sector. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the current volatile market has created extra pressure for the struggling sector. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data from REINZ showed the New Zealand housing market cooled in October. Prices declined 2 percent nationally on a seasonally adjusted basis, in the first monthly reduction in house prices since April. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says prospective buyers are feeling less optimistic as interest rates continue to soar. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Post-election coalition talks are still under way, with leaders from all three parties meeting at Auckland's Cordis Hotel. National's Nicola Willis and Christopher Luxon have claimed that negotiations are heading into the final stages. ZB political editor Jason Walls says leaders from all three parties seem to agree talks are progressing well- but it's too soon to know for sure? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Catholic school in NSW's Southern Highlands is the latest to allow students to take a four-day week. Chevalier College will permit students from years 10 to 12 to learn from home on Mondays from 2024, as part of a new set of educational measures. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says these privileges will only be granted to a select few students, who have proven they can learn without supervision. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

India have beaten New Zealand by 70 runs at Mumbai to advance to the Cricket World Cup final. The key wicket in the chase for 398 was a cramp-riddled Daryl Mitchell, who reached 134. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains the mass reaction to the team's loss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Daryl Mitchell has addressed the debilitating cramps which crept into his heroic innings against India as the Black Caps fell in the Cricket World Cup semifinals in Mumbai. The 32-year-old's 134 wasn't enough to help New Zealand into their third straight final, coming up 70 runs short after the hosts posted 397. He says the team tries to prepare for environmental factors that might impact them, but the humidity was surprising. "We're pretty detailed with how we prepare before the games, we weigh ourselves, but sometimes the humidity we're playing in- it's hot work." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart discussed climate change, in a first bilateral meeting in seven years. The pair sat down together ahead of the APEC Summit in San Francisco. Biden says Xi Jinping agreed to help disrupt fentanyl drug production, resume military communications and assess AI risk. Herald business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says they also talked about a combined approach to the climate crisis. "Between them, they're 40 percent of emissions for the world. These are major issues, they've got the big meeting up in Dubai coming soon- COP28." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Winston Peters is expected to emerge from a meeting with National soon, as Government-forming talks continue. NZ Herald political reporter Adam Pearse is outside the Cordis Hotel in Auckland, and says Peters has been with National's leader Chris Luxon for more than two hours. He says the meetings are getting longer, which could mean they are getting into the detail. "The latest we've heard is that there are still policy differences that they have yet to iron out. And I would imagine if you were spending over two hours discussing in a hotel room, ministerial positions are not the only things you're talking about." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Māori academic says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reducing Te Reo usage is deeply disappointing. Stuff reports the Ministry has removed Māori from some official documents, anticipating an incoming National-led Government. A leaked email from its chief executive discusses the decision to remove Te Reo headings from submission templates. Rapata Wiri says the agency is trying to appease voters. "They're trying to undo all the good work that's been put in place over the last 50 years." An MFAT spokesperson confirms it has adjusted one template, and will consult with the incoming Minister for their preferences on receiving advice. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Council's Transport and Infrastructure Committee has endorsed having a team work on timed congestion charges. Mayor Wayne Brown wants to have the charges in place as soon as possible, potentially with discounts for Gold Card holders and people on low incomes. Public Transport Users Association Chair Niall Robertson says it can't be done until public transport options are in place. "If you haven't got all these other alternatives, it's a kind of double jeopardy for the commuter, who might not have any other options but to take the car on the motorway." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The implementation of a controversial new science curriculum has come to a halt- both delighting and frustrating educators. A leaked early version of the curriculum upset some for its lack of any mention of physics, chemistry or biology. Consultation has been put on hold for a second time, with the Ministry of Education waiting to engage with the new Government before it's sent out. St Cuthbert's College principal Justine Mahon says school staff are relieved with this delay. "New Zealand education is in dire straits at the moment, and we need the incoming Government to make it a priority to lift the standard. Scrutinising the draft science curriculum is an imperative." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Probably the most interesting development of the day kind of related to the coalition negations is the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been busted deliberately ramping down its use of Te Reo Māori to make the incoming Government happy. At MFAT, if staff want to write a formal message to a Minister, they use a template. Until about a couple of weeks ago, that template told staff to use Māori words instead of some English words. For example; summary, report, recommendations and conclusions. But since around the time the special votes started coming in- and it was obvious Winston Peters would be a possibility for Foreign Minister, MFAT's chief executive has made the call to dump some of those Māori words and go back to the English words in the template. It's pretty obvious that MFAT is doing this because because of the incoming Government. MFAT brought the Māori words in apparently because the previous Labour Foreign Affairs Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, had told MFAT to use more Te Reo. But not all the parties in the incoming Government love the political use of Te Reo. Personally, I've got no objection to the use of Te Reo. I learnt for years, I use it myself probably every day in some way. But no one likes a greaser. And MFAT’s been busted greasing. Happy to use Te Reo to make Nanaia happy, happy to dump it the minute it looks like Winston Peters, who loves the Queen’s English is back in the chair. And this is probably a perfect example of the exactly the reason so many people get frustrated by the use of Te Reo Māori in the media and in Government. Because it feels forced and hollow. It feels like the guy on the news and the weather person and the public servant signing off with ngā mihi don’t actually really care about Te Reo, or use it that much themselves. It feels like they're just saying it to signal that they're virtuous and acceptable- and MFAT has just been busted doing exactly that. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has hit back with a 'scathing' open letter to Rishi Sunak. Braverman was recently sacked after she accused the Metropolitan Police of bias in the policing of protests. UK correspondent Enda Brady says people believe Braverman's setting herself up for future leadership in the Conservative party, with many voicing support for her views. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Business Mentors Chief Executive Sarah Trotman 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! Luxon, Seymour and Peters finally got in a room today to sort out a new coalition Government. The three leaders met for half an hour- and then Winston and Luxon and ACT and National went on to have longer meetings. What happens next? Is there hope of progress on coalition negotiations? Newly-retired referee Wayne Barnes has taken aim at Sir Graham Henry and New Zealand in general in his new biography. Are his comments out of line? A record net 44,800 Kiwis have left the country to live elsewhere, according to new data. Is this brain drain concerning- or will this be offset by an uptick in migrants? How can we work to keep young talent around? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Electronic card spending data recorded the first significant drop since mid-2022 this October. Spending in retail industries fell 0.7 per cent compared to September, down by $44 million, Stats NZ said in a press release. Demand for larger items has declined by 7.8 percent, and spending on apparel has fallen 8 percent. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says retailers are staring down the barrel of a difficult period, as spending is projected to decline for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.