Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Bird of the Century winner announcement will now be delayed by two days following an influx of hundreds of thousands of votes thanks to British comedian John Oliver and his Puteketeke campaign. The winner will be announced on Wednesday 15th November while voting closes at 5pm on Sunday the 12th. Forest and Bird communications advisor Ellen Rykers spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police investigating the murder of baby Ruthless Empire believe that crucial evidence was disposed of - and have revealed more details surrounding the death of the toddler three weeks ago. Nobody has been charged and it appears that the three people of interest have not given police the full story. NZ Herald reporter, Melissa Nightingale, has been following developments today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act's leader says a strong relationship with Winston Peters is important, as Government-forming talks continue. David Seymour and the New Zealand First leader talked for just 10 minutes in Wellington today. He told Heather du Plessis Allan it wasn't a long talk, but it was productive. He says it's worth taking the time to speak face-to-face - with three years ahead of them. He says all three parties have to work together and a triangle is always going to be stronger than a V, if all three parties are talking at the same time. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Whitehouse says Israel has agreed to four-hour military pauses in Gaza. This comes after a lot of pressure from the US on Israel. Meanwhile, there is a year to go until the Presidential Election and there's concern that Joe Biden isn't going to win. But any other democrat candidate could? And now that the actors have agreed to a deal, when are the shows coming back on, and how much has it cost the industry? US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black Caps batsman Henry Nicholls reported by match umpires for alleged ball tampering in Plunket Shield match. Meanwhile, the Black Caps are all but into the Cricket World semi-finals, but could they beat India?And the Warriors are taking some of their games to Christchurch. Is this a good idea?Weekend Sport host Jason Pine spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan about these stories and more. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disappointment with NZQA after major disruptions for Year 11 students sitting an online exam. More than 20,000 tried to sit the NCEA Level 1 English exam today. But the system buckled under the pressure after about 18-thousand pupils had logged on - and access was cut. Avonside College Principal, Catherine Laws told Heather du Plessis-Allan a number of students were distressed. She says those with special assessment conditions already have barriers to communicating what they want to say, so it was really tough for them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don’t Karl Le Quesne the guy who runs the Electoral Commission. He seems like a serious sort of man who takes his job seriously which is the kind of person I quite like. So I have nothing against him, but he has to lose his job over the stuff ups this election. There have been too many stuff ups: The problem getting getting the Easy Vote cards out before the election. The computers system crashed for a while on election day. They lost an entire box of votes in the final count. 15 seats ended up having wrong final counts. And finally, they thought it was a good idea to put a voting booth in a marae in Manurewa where the CEO of the marae was running for parliament and won the seat and is now an MP. If you were generous, and most of us are, you could probably excuse a few counting errors and and a computer system crashing because mistakes happen. But this many mistakes is too many, and there is no excuse for putting the voting booth in the marae. Sure, Karl wasn't personally counting the votes and running the computer system so you might think it’s harsh for him to lose his job. But here’s why he has to: standards, and Karl should be made an example of to the rest of the public service. Because it is getting sloppy all over the place Stats NZ stuffed up two censuses in a row, the Electoral Commission stuffed up the election, Adrian Orr stuffed up inflation, Pharmac's CEO got busted writing snarky emails about a journalist cum patient advocate, and today the NZQA stuffed up the NCEA level 1 English exam when the online system couldn't handle 20,000 students and slowed down so badly 10% of them couldn't do it online. We have a right to expect our public servants to do their jobs to a certain standard and if they don’t there should be consequences. If the incoming government wants to tidy up the public service and get them operating anywhere near the same standard as businesses up and down this country they have the perfect way to send a message. Start by holding the boss of the Electoral Commission responsible for a job badly done. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Boris Johnson warned that the Tories were 'drifting to defeat' under Rishi Sunak's leadership. The former Prime Minister claimed Sunak was offering voters 'nothing to rally behind' and that they needed a 'positive agenda for change'. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the Opposition party is currently leading by 45 percent in the polls and they're in with a good chance ahead of next year's election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Nick Mills from ZB's Wellington Mornings and BRG director Georgina Stylianou joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Winston Peters held an impromptu press conference about the ongoing coalition discussions, and claimed 'speed is of the essence'. Is Winston getting impatient? Labour's Helen White is under pressure to defend her campaign, after emails leaked showing her volunteers blamed Hipkins, and the Greens for her election result? What do we think of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Industry experts are 'cautiously optimistic' about Fonterra's plan to reduce on-farm emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The dairy co-op has promised to utilise new technology, changes to farming practice and existing and new vegetation to remove carbon. The Country's Jamie Mackay says a 30 percent reduction in 7 years is unlikely, based on current projections. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More eyes are on the Commerce Commission, as Foodstuffs seeks their approval for a merger. The retail giant hopes to merge its North Island and South Island operations into one business, but needs the Government agency to sign off. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says these businesses have to see some threats of legislation or disruption before they get too big. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fifteen voting places have been found to have data entry errors causing changes for electorate candidate results. The Electoral Commission has just released amended official results after doing a full check of party, electorate and special votes. Errors include one electorate where some special votes were entered incorrectly, and 620 votes in the East Coast that were included in the preliminary count but not the official count. ZB political editor Jason Walls says this mistake adds to a worsening look for the Electoral Commission. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Creditors of failed online grocery business Supie today voted in favour of liquidation at a watershed meeting. A report from BusinessDesk counted 14 people in multiple meetings held about the company, despite 100 seats being laid out at PwC's Auckland office. Neat Meat founder and former Supie creditor Simon Eriksen doesn't think there's a lot of money left over. "The money has gone, and knowing enough about that business- there probably isn't a lot left over after you pay wages and whatnot." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global logistics company Mainfreight has reported a significant slump in net profit and revenue. Their result shows profits declined 42 percent, to $124 million- after a successful 2022. CEO Don Braid says the company managed to have two really good years, as the company took advantage of unprecedented demand. "We're now heading towards a more normalised trading environment, freight volumes are down dramatically from the nutty period where we had economic stimulus from Governments around the world." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The head of the under-pressure Electoral Commission has apologised once again, for yet another voting day error. Earlier this week, the Herald revealed 3 voting places where the data entry was incorrect. But after an investigation, the Commission revealed that number was actually 15. Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne says this was a regrettable error. "It appears the quality assurance checks didn't pick it up- they should have. When we went through yesterday and applied all those checks again, that's when we found things didn't reconcile." Overall results have not been affected, nor the electorates where recounts are underway. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra says their emissions reduction scheme will work for the benefit of its farmers. The dairying giant plans to slash on-farm greenhouse gases 30 percent by 2030 through new tech, farming practices and carbon removal. There's no punishment for farmers not complying- the company instead hopes demand from customers to go green will be incentive enough. Director of Sustainability Charlotte Rutherford says it's about productivity and efficiency. "It's generally a good thing for farmers- it can make them more profitable and can certainly make them more resilient into the future." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pharmac is reconsidering whether or not it will continue to fund the RSV drug Palivizumab. It planned to stop funding, but it's now rethinking that after new information. Auckland University Associate Professor Jane Alsweiler says the drug is highly effective at keeping babies out of hospital. Pharmac Chief Medical Officer David Hughes says the past source of funding has dried up. "Additional Covid-19 pandemic funding from the Government- that funding has ended. And that means Palivizumab needs to be considered through Pharmac's usual process." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An obscured view might be just the ticket for some Taylor Swift fans. Frontier Touring is releasing additional tickets to her Melbourne and Sydney shows, including partially-obstructed side view seats, starting from $80. Promoters Association President Brent Eccles says there might be some small thing that might restrict your view. But he says often it is just a precautionary note. "Part of the show might be obscured by details, maybe a small marquee or something- but you still get to see the full video presentation." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Government's launching a review into the nationwide Optus outage affecting millions. Customers started to report an inability to access both mobile and home internet services around 6am yesterday - with emergency services unable to communicate and trains in Melbourne brought to a halt. Services are gradually being restored. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says millions of Australians were left 'vulnerable' as a result of the outage. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

11 new faces feature in the Moana Pasifika squad for the next Super Rugby Pacific season. They include English lock Tom Savage, who has earned 179 caps for Premiership team Gloucester. Former All Blacks wing Julian Savea has joined from the Hurricanes, while flanker Sione Havili Talitui comes in from the Crusaders. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave recaps today's picks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Actors are likely to get back in front of the cameras as early as tomorrow, with the SAG-AFTRA actors' union reaching a tentative agreement with Hollywood studios. The 118-day strike was sparked by demands for increased minimum salaries, a share of streaming service revenue and protection from being replaced by digital replicas generated by AI. KTLA entertainment correspondent Sam Rubin says Hollywood's been dormant, now it'll roar back into action. "The actors are going to get back to work literally as soon as tomorrow. On the promotion side, I think production of film and television will resume as soon as next week." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

King Charles III delivered the British government's agenda for the first time on the throne. The monarch laid out the Government's plans to tackle crime, boost growth and reduce Britain's climate change targets. UK correspondent Gail Downey says law and order is the primary focus of the current Government over the next 12 months. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Electoral Commission is under pressure to recheck the voting results after the Herald uncovered wrong vote counts at three polling booths. Is this going to lead to a crisis in confidence in future election results? New Zealand's Jewish community is reporting escalating threats and abuse against them. Do politicians have a responsibility to watch their rhetoric in fear of inflaming the situation? Former Prime Minister Jim Bolger is the latest to oppose ACT's proposed referendum on the Treaty. Does there need to be a debate about the Treaty- or is the threat of civil unrest too strong? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are wracking their brains over how negotiations are set to shape the incoming Government's economic polices. ANZ's latest economic outlook examined the fiscal outlook for the incoming National-led Government, and noted that the addition of ACT and NZ First could lead to more significant changes. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says National will face potential roadblocks in introducing tax cuts and a foreign buyers tax, as those have divided all three parties. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sky TV has terminated discussions about a potential takeover with an unnamed third party. Last month, the company reportedly received an expression of interest from a prospective bidder hoping to buy the company out. Earlier today, Sky revealed they had received a non-binding offer from the third party that didn't meet their expectations. Milford Asset Management's Sam Trethewey explains why Sky rejected this proposed buyout. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lobbying efforts are already underway to prevent the incoming Government from implementing a new tax on commercial and industrial building owners. National campaigned on removing the ability of commercial and industrial building owners to deduct depreciation as an expense when paying tax. This extra tax would bring in an extra $2 billion over four years and help cover National's proposed tax cuts. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says this is one of the easiest methods National can use to generate extra tax revenue, as less voters are affected by it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First and ACT have made their first contact in coalition negotiations since the election wrapped up. ACT’s chief of staff Andrew Ketels and NZ First’s Darroch Ball met in Wellington today to establish 'lines of communication'. As of yet, Winston Peters has not responded to David Seymour's invitation for a conversation. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan says there's still tension between Seymour and Peters, meaning other party members will have to clear the way. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US is experiencing a shortage of essential over-the-counter drugs and prescription medications. A dwindling supply of ADHD, cancer and diabetes medication is disrupting hospitals and pharmacies- and creating widespread concern. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says even animals are being impacted by this shortage, as medications for pets has also gotten harder to find. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

World Rugby is set to implement smart mouthguard technology to detect head injuries suffered on the field. From January 1, these mouthguards will be mandated into all professional rugby competitions. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains the implications of this technology, and whether players will benefit or suffer from this practice. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some University of Auckland managers were uncomfortable with Dr Siouxsie Wiles’ 'celebrity' status during Covid-19 and gave her the nickname 'Brand Siouxsie', a court heard today. Wiles is taking on the university in Employment Court, on the grounds that they should have done more to protect her from threats directed at her during the pandemic. NZ Herald reporter Isaac Davison says the university's dean of Medical and Health Sciences had voiced concern about Dr Wiles' prominence. "He had raised concerns about the nature of that and whether some of her commentary would bring the university into disrepute." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 19-year-old Waitaki candidate has spoken out about the abuse he faced on the campaign trail. Ethan Reille says he went through a 'daunting' experience in his first campaign- he was subject to verbal and digital abuse and threats, and was spat at a rural A&P event. He says young candidates shouldn't have to experience that kind of abuse in politics. "We've seen it progressively get worse as more young people enter the political space. At the same time, as a Pakeha male, I don't share the brunt of what our female, Indigenous and Pasifika candidates face." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A healthy lunch seems to be hard to find at school canteens. Researchers reviewed food in more than 120 primary school tuck shops- assigning green, amber, or red ratings based on how healthy it was. Only 19 percent scored green. Massey University's Carol Wham says she's not surprised to see most items don't meet Ministry of Health guidelines. "They really want at least 75 percent percent of food offerings to be in the green, which is the healthy group items without fat and sugar and salt- not highly processed." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A spokesperson for New Zealand's Jewish community says antisemitism is rising. The fence of an Auckland Jewish community centre was graffitied overnight, with the words 'Free Gaza, save the kids' and 'Ceasefire'. It was then set on fire. Jewish Council spokesperson Juliet Moses says it's hard to quantify, but threats are increasing. "There's a lot of online abuse, there's in-person death threats, there's a lot of bad stuff happening at schools, where children have been quite seriously bullied." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An electoral law expert says a vote counting error could have been easily avoided. The Electoral Commission is conducting a full check, after results from three polling booths were recorded incorrectly. The data entry slip-up saw the Leighton Baker Party and the New Conservatives score votes meant for National. Barrister Graeme Edgeler says it should have triggered alerts when National got no votes at one booth. "You should have two independent people both inputting the data, and then the computer checks if they're the same. I would have assumed they did that, and the fact that this wasn't caught suggested they don't." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington chef says it hurts to see high profile local restaurants closing. In the past fortnight, Field and Green and Shepherd have announced they'll be shutting at the end of the year. Logan Brown chef Shaun Clousten says hospitality is the heart and soul of the city. He says times are tough and he doesn't think the problem is too many restaurants. "We know there's a lot of restaurants, and I can tell you right now that you really don't want to be putting a cap on things and saying- no, you can't do that because somebody else is already doing that." He says restaurants are likely to need to up their prices. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm not about to tell Chlöe Swarbrick that she shouldn't have used that phrase. Right-minded people don't make a habit of policing what people say, I don't think it crosses the line at all or incites people into violence, so it's not going to break the law and she can technically say it if she want to. But she might want to really consider whether she wants to be saying that phrase. Chlöe, as a New Zealand-based politician, is probably not going to change what's happening in Israel. So heading off to the domain in Auckland and chanting that phrase is probably not going to affect what's happening in the Middle East. But it does have the power to affect what's happening here in New Zealand. We have got both Palestinian and Jewish communities in the region who are hurting, and many members of those communities will be quite angry about the situation at the moment. You don't have to look far to see evidence of that. The graffiti on the fence on the synagogue in Epsom that popped up in the news today? That's some evidence. The anger at the pro-Palestinian rally on Saturday? That's obvious evidence. The apparent boycotting of Jewish businesses in New Zealand? That's evidence. You've got the level of vitriol on social media, which is genuinely surprising to some people when they weigh in on the subject and see what comes back at them. People are clearly feeling strongly about this, and what they don't need is a political leader in this country with a high profile jumping on stage and whipping up that anger or that fear. That's exactly what Chlöe did by using that phrase. She might argue she didn't whip up any anger and we can't argue against her because we can't measure it- but I can tell you for certain that she whipped up fear. The Jewish community, who heard what she said, had members saying that it made them feel scared. That is objectively the opposite of calming things down- which is what Chlöe should be using her position for. Chlöe doesn't need to apologise if she doesn't want to, doesn't have to back down if she doesn't want to, she can defend the phrase and she can keep saying it- but if she cared about the New Zealand Jewish and Palestinian communities, she shouldn't say it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Harry and Meghan were the subject of another royal family controversy, over claims they snubbed King Charles. The monarch is celebrating his 75th birthday next week, and reports claimed Harry - and possibly Meghan - rejected his invitation. The pair have since responded, claiming they had never received an invitation to the event. UK correspondent Enda Brady says it's unlikely Harry would have forgotten this event, and it's likely he was left off the list altogether. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Chris Hipkins will remain leader of the Labour party after securing a vote of confidence from his caucus. Hipkins intends to run again in 2026- and capital gains and wealth taxes are back on the table again. Could these polices help Labour in the future? Is Chris Hipkins the future of the Labour party? NZ Rugby has released a study into concussion among community rugby players, showing the impact on 94 percent of players is lower than on people jumping on trampolines. Does this make you keen to have your kids play rugby? The Melbourne Cup has updated their dress code to allow men to wear shorts- what do we think of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister John Key is taking Zespri's kiwifruit fight straight to top Chinese politicians. Zespri filed a civil case in China's Intellectual Property Court in August, against parties it claims are growing unlicensed golden kiwifruit. Key has since spoken with China's foreign affairs minister Wang Yi on a business trip to Beijing to ensure Kiwi farmers have confidence their intellectual property is protected. The Country's Jamie Mackay says China's unlicensed growth is a threat to Zespri's sales, as 25 percent of their total sales come from the region. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time is running out for National's proposed pre-Christmas mini-budget. Prime Minister-elect Chris Luxon and his new Finance Minister Nicola Willis promised to create a scaled-down budget by the end of 2023 back in September. ANZ's latest economic outlook has cast doubt on whether the incoming Government can deliver on this promise. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie explains the roadblocks National will need to take into account while crafting a mini-budget in this timeframe. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foodstuffs is set to apply to the Commerce Commission to merge its North Island and South Island co-operatives into one national business. The company is half of New Zealand’s supermarket duopoly - and expected to spark big debate on competition issues. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin says this merger is part of a strategy focused on creating better value to customers. "Like any business, we have to look harder at our cost base- and also where our energy and efforts are going." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research on concussions has shed light on how rugby head collisions affect community players. The collaborative study includes research by Otago University and data from local and international rugby governing bodies. It used smart mouthguard technology - obligatory in training and elite matches from next year. Research scientist Janelle Romanchuk says it measured 17,000 incidents across 300 players. "86 percent of that data would be relative to what you might experience jumping on a trampoline or what you might experience on a roller coaster." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chlöe Swarbrick says it's abhorrent to suggest she supports the destruction of Israel. The Green MP is under fire for chanting 'from the river to the sea' at a pro-Palestine rally on the weekend. The phrase has been used since the 1960s to advocate for freeing Palestine from Israel's occupation. The Jewish Council says it's anti-Semitic. Swarbrick says she decries anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and violence in all forms. "The pathway forward for ongoing peace means justice. That means an immediate ceasefire, a return of hostages on all side and a recognition of humanity and shared rights of Palestinians." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Labour Minister says the Party's Caucus has made the right move in re-selecting Chris Hipkins as its leader this morning. Hipkins says he plans to stay on as leader until the next election. Former Cabinet Minister Iain Lees-Galloway says Hipkins is the right choice, for now. "Labour needs to spend the time taking stock of the election results- and how they got there." Lees-Galloway says Hipkins has 18 months to prove he's the right man, or someone else will need to step up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins has survived as Labour leader, after securing the confidence of his Caucus in a vote this morning. Carmel Sepuloni was unanimously voted in as Labour Deputy - taking the place of Kelvin Davis, who stepped down. Hipkins also confirmed he plans to run for Prime Minister in 2026, and all previously canned policies are back on the table including capital gains and wealth taxes. ZB political editor Jason Walls says Labour would be better off re-evaluating several key policies, but they should consider leaving wealth taxes alone. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's Reserve Bank is taking a crack at inflation - lifting the country's cash rate for the first time since June. It's up 25 basis points to 4.35 percent. Correspondent Murray Olds says inflation was cooling at 5.4 percent- but spiked in the September quarter. "That's because rents are rising very quickly on the back of high immigration numbers, we've got petrol spiking because of international conflict." New Zealand's Reserve Bank is set to review the OCR on November 29, which is currently on hold at 5.5 percent. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Blacks captain Sam Cane has been suspended for two matches following his high tackle at the Rugby World Cup. The All Blacks captain was the first to be red-carded in World Cup final history, after his shoulder-led tackle connected with Jesse Kriel's head. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what the brief ban entails here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The race that stops two nations kicks off in about half in hour. About 80,000 punters will be track side at Flemington for the Melbourne Cup, with 23 horses ready to hit the ground running. Australian correspondent Donna Demaio says the party's already started. "Post-pandemic, it really feels like the Melbourne Cup has got its buzz back." Newstalk ZB will cross live to the race when it begins. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All eyes are on the UK, as King Charles III is set to deliver the first inaugural King’s Speech in 70 years. The ruler is expected to cover the UK's legislative agenda for the next few months, in the lead-up to the general election. UK correspondent Gail Downey says the speech will address key political issues impacting the region. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, former National press secretary Ben Thomas and former Labour chief of staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Concerned Christchurch residents have been tracking a woman with a history of poisoning neighbourhood cats and making them sick- do authorities need to intervene? Once the final vote was known, Winston Peters called for a three-way meeting between himself, Chris Luxon and David Seymour. Is this sensible? Is it a good idea for Luxon to get the two of them negotiating together? The Labour caucus is set to meet tomorrow to vote on leadership- is Chris Hipkins the obvious choice? Will his caucus want him to carry on as leader? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.