Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The next phase of establishing a new Government is set to begin, as all the final ballots have been counted. National is in talks with ACT and New Zealand First, after special votes revealed all three are needed to form a Government. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says all three parties will need to have negotiations in person so Luxon can work around Seymour and Winston's complicated history with each other. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese has become the first Australian Prime Minister to visit China in seven years- touching down in Shanghai yesterday. He's trying to improve relations with the country's biggest trade partner. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Albanese is expected to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to repair the damage left by Scott Morrison. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Black Cap run machine Rachin Ravindra may be the breakout star of the Cricket World Cup but he's keeping his feet firmly on the ground. The 23-year-old is third on the tournament run-scoring list, totalling 523 runs at the stunning average of 74.71. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains Ravindra's success and popularity further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac's CEO has identified a range of reasons for its fall in profits. The bank had a $963 million net profit for the year to September, down seven percent from 2022. Catherine McGrath says Westpac has been investing heavily in key parts of the business to improve the customer experience. "We've been investing in the foundation of the bank, so we've been introducing new tools. For example, we're the first bank in New Zealand to bring in an extra layer of security for our customers to protect them from fraud and scams." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister-in-waiting is letting nothing slip on coalition negotiations. National is in talks with ACT and New Zealand First, after special votes revealed all three are needed to form a Government. A former New Zealand First MP, Andrew Williams, told Mike Hosking this morning leader Winston Peters would want to be Treasurer. But Nicola Willis wouldn't be drawn on it. "One of the things that's been really great about this process, and I think you've seen it from David Seymour, from Chris Luxon, from Winston Peters- is our respectful desire not to negotiate via the media." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerned Christchurch residents have been monitoring a woman with a reported history of harming local cats. A 400-strong Facebook community dubbed this woman the 'harmful cat feeder' and claim she's feeding their pets questionable food and making them sick- or worse. One resident, Kate Russell, says this woman has been creating problems for years, but her behaviour has intensified over the last 18 months. "She has been told again and again, to the extent that people have put signs up on their property asking her not to feed, which she rips down. Local businesses and local medical centres have signs in their windows- she has no permission at all from anyone." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She's dressed royals, A-list stars and even Prime Ministers- and now Emilia Wickstead's designs will be part of Air New Zealand's uniform refresh. The London-based Kiwi designer is set to craft new looks for the airline's 5,000-strong cabin and ground crew. They will be revealed late next year for a wearer trial, before taking to the skies in 2025. Wickstead expressed excitement with this creative opportunity and looks forward to bringing her designs back to her home country. "Essentially, it's like a full circle, when I was a little girl, I had a dream and took it away and built a business abroad- and now I've come full circle and I'm so proud to be doing this." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon has shot down ACT's wish for a Treaty referendum, but there's suggestions there could be a consolation prize. The Prime Minister-elect says it would be divisive and unhelpful. He's in negotiations with ACT and New Zealand First, who need to combine to govern. Former National Treaty Negotiations Minister Chris Finlayson says there is a case for looking at the Treaty of Waitangi Act. "The tribunal's coming up to 50 years old- so what's the role of the tribunal in the future once it's dealt with historical grievances?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A report has suggested the average Auckland house deposit could reach $1 million by 2045. The report was shared exclusively with One News. Enable.Me financial adviser Katie Wesney says it's not an inconceivable amount. "A million dollar deposit in 22 years, that's a 6.5 percent rate. And in all reality in the last 10 years, Auckland house prices have risen by 7.8 percent." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour MPs are not expected to oppose Chris Hipkins staying as party leader when they meet tomorrow. It'll be the first catch up since Friday's full election result revealed who will stay and go. They'll discuss the campaign and the political road map for the next three years- and they'll also vote on Labour's leadership. ZB political editor Jason Walls says Hipkins is expected to win handsomely. "I've been hitting the phone and speaking to MPs- and the sense that I'm getting is that Chris Hipkins is going to be safe." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

High-profile scientist Siouxsie Wiles left a courtroom in tears after recounting a threat made against her on Christmas Eve. She's taking legal action against her employer, the University of Auckland, saying it didn't seriously respond to those threats until more than two years after Wiles first complained. Herald reporter Isaac Davison says Wiles and colleagues with complaints of harassment counted about 60 emails and 7 meetings before they felt the university was responding. He says the university initially got external security advice- and her complaint was much of it was reactive. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once again, thanks to MMP, we're back in a state of suspension and waiting for the conclusion of coalition talks. Which for all the parties' claims- are barely progressing. And I think it's important for our collective sanity that we concentrate on what we know, rather than all the ifs, buts, maybes and reckons which we might imagine to be the case. What is it that we actually know? We know that National and ACT and NZ First are willing to form a coalition, and that's pretty much it so far. The big thing we need to do now is to get the three to meet. Now what we know about that was revealed in Winston Peters' only interview thus far, with Sean Plunket- which was held on Friday. And he said two things- he said that all three parties should meet together at the same time. Not National-ACT, then National-NZ First, then ACT-NZ First. All three, at the same time, in the same room. We can also presume that based on his telephone tag with David Seymour this weekend, he would like all of that to happen face to face. No-one on the phones, no-one on the conference call- all three walk into the room at the same time. His other thing that he said in the interview was that the nuts and bolts of the coalition deal should be negotiated by chiefs of staff, and not by the leaders. Now, those two ideas came out first thing on Friday. I mentioned this to Chris Bishop. And I actually think they're good ideas. I think the leaders should be seen entering the same room, just to show that they're seriously considering a strong, stable, united Government. At the moment, I don't even know if they're in the same city. And this is all so important that a phone call really isn't enough to nail it. The other thing I feel is that NZ First is afraid of being thought of as an afterthought. Tacked on to the end of a National-ACT agreement. They feel they're just as important as the other two players. Numerically smaller, but without them- there will be no Government. Winston Peters believes he's an equal to the other two leaders. In fact, comparing his experience to the other two, he'll probably consider himself their superior. And his standing needs to acknowledge that, because we all know he has an ego. Leaving the chiefs of staff to thrash it out is a good idea too, it means the leaders don't get sucked into all these arguments about minor details and hate each other. Then at the end of the day, they all gather for a symbolic signing- it's all how international treaties are negotiated. All the chiefs of staff do it, and then the Presidents and Prime Ministers gather together to shake and wave. So far on those two ideas mentioned- first thing on Friday, there's been no movement from National. I asked Chris Bishop about party talks on Friday, he says it's too soon to discuss. All the other debates about what jobs the various MPs get in the coalition are still way down the track, which is why I didn't believe Andrew Williams' earlier claims on Mike Hosking. Now, the really important thing in this whole process is not to underestimate Winston Peters. It's not his first rodeo, he's a lawyer. And he may not have started his own business, but he started his own party. He hired all the staff, he chose all the candidates, he did all the branding, he made all the ads and got finance for the whole thing- that's a big job, and he's been the master of the rat king needed to be a political leader since he entered Parliament 45 years ago. Don't underestimate Winston Peters. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps are approaching the pointy end of the Cricket World Cup group stage. New Zealand is hanging on to fourth in the group stage table, ahead of fifth-placed Pakistan on run rate. Tomorrow's clash with Pakistan is one of their two remaining clashes, and need a win to all but secure a semi-final place. Black Caps batting coach Luke Ronchi joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk declared artificial intelligence “one of the most disruptive forces in history” in a sit down conversation with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak that dove into the dangers and opportunities of AI on Thursday, capping off the UK’s inaugural AI Safety Summit. “AI will be a force for good most likely,” Musk said. “But the probability of it going bad is not zero percent.” The two men spoke in an interview-style chat from a stage at Lancaster House, a government venue in central London often used for diplomatic purposes, before the conversation was opened up to questions from journalists. The conversation was then posted for streaming on Musk’s personal account on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter that he owns. Musk was present throughout the two-day event held mainly at Bletchley Park, the headquarters for the Allied Forces codebreaking program during World War II, along with US Vice President Kamala Harris, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and other notable politicians and global tech leaders. Chinese officials were also present at the event. “I’m glad to see at this point that people are taking AI seriously,” Musk said to Sunak on Thursday. “Thanks for this summit. I think it will go down in history as quite important.” Musk unpacked several predictions for AI, including a future where no jobs would be necessary and AI companionship would be one of the highest forms of friendship. In office for just over a year, Sunak has restored some calm to British politics, but also faced challenges over his elite background, having studied at the exclusive Winchester College, Oxford and Stanford universities. Before entering politics, he worked for banks and hedge funds, including Goldman Sachs. In the first day of his AI event, more than 25 countries and the European Union signed the Bletchley Declaration, agreeing to work together to create a united approach to oversight in efforts to deploy AI technology in a “human-centric, trustworthy and responsible” way, underscoring the “potential for serious, even catastrophic, harm” that many tech leaders have expressed concern over. Musk and world leaders Musk’s conversation with Sunak is one of numerous chats with world leaders the SpaceX and Tesla CEO has joined in the past few months. It showed his growing influence in geopolitical affairs as well as various technology and industrial sectors. Musk met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in September, weeks before the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Netanyahu met with Musk to discuss artificial intelligence and antisemitism on the Musk-owned social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, at a time Musk was warring with the Anti-Defamation League. Musk also sat down with French President Emmanuel Macron numerous times in the past year. Other big names that recently made time for Musk in their schedule include Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in September. At the event Thursday, Musk noted that if the AI powerhouses such as the United States and the UK “are aligned on AI safety, that is a good thing.” And he suggested other global powers such as China should also remain involved in discussions. He compared AI to a magic genie and noted that fairy tales with magic genies that grant wishes “don’t end well” and cause people to “be careful what you wish for.” Musk has increasingly become a fixture in international affairs, making headlines not only for his meetings with heads of state but also for the provision – or lack thereof – of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite services in war-torn regions. Starlink in war zones The billionaire received backlash this week for pledging to provide aid organizations in Gaza with Starlink satellite service as the besieged strip struggles with internet connectivity. The Israeli Minister of Communications Shlomo Karhi said on X that Hamas “will use it for terrorist activities.” “Perhaps Musk would be willing to condition it with the release of our abducted babies, sons, daughters, elderly people. All of them! By then, my office will cut any ties with starlink,” Karhi posted. Musk made the announcement on X after US Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said that “cutting off all communication to a population of 2.2 million is unacceptable.” “Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza,” Musk said in a post replying to Ocasio-Cortez. In Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled “Elon Musk,” it was revealed that Musk secretly ordered his engineers not to turn on his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to avoid supporting a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet. “There was an emergency request from government authorities to activate Starlink all the way to Sevastopol. The obvious intent being to sink most of the Russian fleet at anchor,

President Joe Biden is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said, sharing an agreement in principle has been reached on a meeting later this month in San Francisco. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stressed that the White House believes the best way to manage competition is through “intense diplomacy,” and said, “It’s going to be a constructive meeting. The president’s looking forward to it.” Pressed repeatedly on the meeting, Jean-Pierre said she “just confirmed it,” though a White House official later clarified that the press secretary “was speaking to the agreement in principle.” “We are planning for a constructive meeting between the leaders, but still working together to put those plans into place,” the official said Wednesday, noting that logistical details continue to be worked out. Biden is traveling to San Francisco on November 14 to host representatives from the 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies for APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. The high-stakes meeting comes as the White House is navigating major wars in Ukraine and Israel, and amid growing competition with China as the US has worked to reestablish regular communication with Beijing following months of tension. Biden has frequently framed the battle between the world’s democracies and autocracies as a central issue of his presidency. Other key issues up for discussion include trade and the economy and human rights concerns. Biden has frequently pressed the importance of face-to-face interactions with world leaders as he seeks to foster improved relations. US officials have previously stopped short of confirming the Xi-Biden meeting, suggesting preparations were underway but noting that the Chinese government regularly confirms high-level meetings only at the last minute. Biden and Xi previously met face-to-face in November 2022 for a three-hour talk in Bali, Indonesia, at a G20 Summit, marking a step toward improving a souring –- but critical –- bilateral relationship. Since then, however, tensions have emerged over China’s spy balloon and restrictions on US investments in China. - by Betsy Klein, CNNSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The special votes are in and officially point to a National-ACT-NZ First coalition. They all ran on a similar election promise of turning the country around, including how they pledged to save the economy. But what could this all mean for businesses? Business commentator Rod Oram joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian mushroom cook Erin Patterson appeared in court today facing two charges of attempted murder and three of murder. A brief hearing was held at the Latrobe Valley magistrates court, with the case officially adjourned until May next year. Her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson as well as Gail's sister Heather died from suspected toxic mushroom poisoning in July, and Gail's husband Ian was hospitalised. Melbourne journalist Nathan Currie joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle - Three's Patrick Gower and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The special votes are finally out, and National's two lost seats have all but confirmed they have to form a three-way coalition with ACT and Winston Peters. It's also been a horror day for Labour, after only just clinging onto Mt Albert by 20 votes, and both the Greens and Te Pāti Māori making huge grounds on their special vote speciality. And Labour deputy Kelvin Davis has announced he'll stay on as leader of Labour's Māori caucus, after losing his Te Tai Tokerau seat to Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Corrections has admitted it was alerted when New Windsor dairy stabber Mitchell Lam's ankle bracelet went offline an hour and a half before the attack. They say they didn't investigate the issue and didn't call the police because Lam had never tampered with it before. However, Corrections say Lam had also breached bail conditions five times and had been arrested on multiple occasions. Victims advocate Ruth Money joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Rachel Boyack says she's delighted with the final count result for her Nelson seat, but acknowledges it’s a small margin. On the official count, she leapfrogged National's Blair Cameron to win the seat by 29 votes. Boyack told Andrew Dickens she's received notification from her National opponent he'll seek a recount for the Nelson seat. “My expectation is that’ll happen reasonably quickly, and I’m still very hopeful I will retain the seat.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's campaign chair has clarified his earlier warnings of a second election. The final vote count reveals National's dropped two seats to 48, which means it no longer has a majority with ACT's 11 and will need New Zealand First. During the campaign Chris Bishop cautioned voters could be sent back to the polls if the three parties couldn't come to an arrangement. Today he told Andrew Dickens that was only one scenario. “As things have turned out, there have been really productive and constructive conversations between New Zealand First and National, and also between National and ACT, and so that is not a possibility.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Beatles have released what they say is their very last song ever that’s been 45 years in the making. ‘Now and Then’ is a cassette track that John Lennon gave to Sir Paul McCartney, and then Sir Peter Jackson used technology to recreate Lennon’s voice with AI and added music from the surviving Beatles Sir Paul and Sir Ringo Starr. It’s certainly made people think about The Beatles again, and their place in our culture. Ultra Beatles fan Joanna Jones joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour will be a “formidable opposition” as they work to “win back the confidence of more New Zealanders” over the next term, leader Chris Hipkins says. The party will have 34 of the expected 123 seats in Parliament over the next three years. Hipkins said he felt Labour had picked up some momentum over the campaign, as evidenced by on-the-day versus advance voting results. But the special votes appeared to reflect the advance voting. “Labour has been sent a message and we have heard it. We will be working hard to rebuild support over the next three years and continue to stand up for working people, children and the environment,” Hipkins said. “While Labour governed during an incredibly challenging time for New Zealand, progress was being made. We can’t let that go to waste.” Hipkins said the party’s economic management was seeing the economy turn a corner with inflation and food prices coming down, low unemployment and growing wages. The former Government also made inroads in climate change and child poverty, he said. He said the party would hold the expected coalition partners National, Act and New Zealand First to account and “stand up for working people, our children and the environment”. “The incoming Government made big promises during the campaign and made it very clear to New Zealanders that they will deliver on all of them. This includes tax cuts of $250 per fortnight for many families, significant reductions in crime, greater numbers of frontline health workers and a free trade deal with India. ”We will be holding them to account for these promises but will also remain vigilant against any policies that hurt working families, our economy and the environment.” Hipkins said the final results meant Labour had lost senior and new MPs who worked hard for New Zealand and New Zealanders, although he believed it was likely there would be a recount in some seats. ”I want to personally thank those MPs and their families, who have given so much to the country and to the Labour Party. Thank you for working hard to make a difference for your communities and for New Zealand,” he said. He said he had a brief conversation with Peeni Henare, who lost by four votes, and he fully supported him if he wanted to call for a recount given the slim margin. Hipkins said there was some “clear vote-splitting” in the Māori electorates, with voters opting to give Labour their party vote and Te Pāti Māori their electorate vote. On safe Labour seats being flipped or held by slim margins, Hipkins said he felt Labour had to reflect in particular on its loss of support in Auckland. He said the party’s research showed they lost a lot of support at the end of the Auckland Covid lockdown and had not regained it. Hipkins assured New Zealanders they still had “great talent and experience” in their team, including a number of former ministers, and they planned to work hard. ”It has been an absolute privilege to serve as prime minister, and I’d like to offer my warmest thanks to everyone who supported me, and our Government over the past six years,” Hipkins said. On his future as leader of the party, he said he still had a “bit of fight left in me” and was “absolutely committed to the Labour Party”. He said he had not yet had the chance to seek feedback from colleagues if they would continue to support him but he would continue to “do right” by the Labour Party. Hipkins said Labour would remain the caretaker Government for as long as it took for National, Act and NZ First to hammer out a coalition agreement.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Trump, one of two sons entrusted to run Donald Trump’s real estate empire, today swore he was never involved with or aware of financial statements that New York state lawyers say fraudulently puffed up the ex-president’s wealth and the worth of the family business. But when a state lawyer pulled up decade-old emails in which a fellow Trump Organisation executive asked him for information needed to complete one of his dad’s financial statements, the irritated son strove to clarify. “We’re a major organisation — yes, I’m fairly sure I understand that we have financial statements. Absolutely,” Eric Trump said. But, he insisted: “I had no involvement and never worked on my father’s statement of financial condition.” Later, when told another Trump Organisation figure gave evidence about him being on a video call about his father’s financial statement as recently as 2021, Eric Trump said he could not remember. “I’m on a thousand calls a day,” he said. Eric Trump followed brother Donald Trump Jr in giving evidence at the family’s New York civil fraud trial, a prelude to their father’s scheduled evidence on Tuesday. Both sons are Trump Organisation executive vice presidents. As court adjourned, with Eric Trump watching from the witness stand, the judge laid into the defence for dragging his law clerk into their complaints about his handling of the trial. The clerk was the target of a false and disparaging Trump social media post early in the trial, leading Engoron to impose a gag order barring parties in the case from smearing court staff. Engoron, raising his voice at times, raised the possibility of expanding the gag order but took no action. The judge said he suspected “a bit of misogyny” toward the clerk, who sits alongside him. Trump’s lawyers denied the allegation. Trump lawyer Christopher Kise sparked Engoron’s fury by calling out the clerk for passing notes to the judge. He said: “I feel like I’m fighting two adversaries” and said the defence team perceived there was “co-judging taking place.” New York Attorney General Letitia James is suing Donald Trump, his company and top executives including Eric and Donald Jr, accusing them of inflating the ex-president’s net worth on annual financial statements that were given to banks, insurers and others to secure loans and make deals. The former president and other defendants deny wrongdoing. Donald Trump, the front-runner for the 2024 Republican nomination, reiterated on his Truth Social platform that he sees the trial as “RIGGED,” a “Miscarriage of Justice,” and “Election Interference.” James and the judge who will decide the case, Arthur Engoron, are Democrats. “The Trump Organisation is Financially Strong, Powerful, Very Liquid, AND HAS DONE NOTHING WRONG,” Trump wrote. Eric Trump, as he started his evidence, said he “never had anything to do with the statement of financial condition,” didn’t believe he’d ever seen one and “didn’t know anything about it, really, until this case came into fruition.” “It’s not what I did for the company,” said the son, who has insisted his interests lie mainly in “pouring concrete” — constructing and operating properties. He said that while he knew the company had financial documents, he “was not personally aware of the statement of financial condition”. State lawyer Andrew Amer then showed him 2013 emails from then-Trump Organization controller Jeffrey McConney. He explained to Eric Trump, then in a different role at the company, that he was “working on your father’s statement of financial condition” and needed information on one of the company’s properties. Eric Trump, second from left, appears at the fraud trial for his father, former President Donald Trump, at New York Supreme Court. In another email that year, McConney said he was “working on the notes to Trump’s annual financial statement” and asked Eric and others for an update on any major construction work that had recently been started. “Yes, I know Jeff McConney does financial statements for my father,” Eric Trump said, shifting back in his chair. Soon after, he sprang into his answer about the company being a “massive real estate organisation”, his voice rising as he spoke. After pointing out emails and documents that indicated Eric Trump had answered McConney’s requests, Amer asked the witness to concede that he was, in fact, “very familiar” with the financial statements. “I just don’t think it would have registered,” Eric Trump said, portraying the messages as answering an accounting colleague’s request for a property description. “I don’t really care where it’s being used. I care about providing them information from the department that I’m running.” Donald Trump Jr. earlier gave evidence that, despite James’ allegations, he still believed his father’s financial statements were “materially accurate.” His father has said that, if anything, the numbers listed on the documents low-balled his wealth. Echoing evidence from the previous day, Trump Jr insisted he dea

International rugby's most experienced referee Wayne Barnes has announced his retirement after 111 tests. His retirement comes just days after the Rugby World Cup final, where he cited online abuse, including death threats, in his reasoning for stepping down. A must-win game for the Black Caps in Bengaluru against Pakistan. The Black Caps have lost their last three in a row, and need a win to all but secure their spot in the Cricket World Cup semifinals. Weekend Sport host Jason Pine joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour says he's confident he will be able to work alongside Winston Peters. The final Special Votes count has confirmed National and ACT will need NZ First to form a government. He says he has reached out to the New Zealand First leader but hasn't heard back yet. Seymour told Andrew Dickens they will need to put aside their differences. “This is a relationship that’s gonna work basically because the voters are keen and green in any election – they have asked us to work together and that we will do.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Monday when I was hosting afternoon talkback I got a pithy little text that said "We've got rid of the clownshow and here comes the 3-ring circus." It's pretty funny because it's pretty true and it's happened. The counting of the special votes has confirmed that Luxon and Seymour need Winston and as we all know Seymour and Peters are not BEST friends. Critics warn of a conservative coalition of chaos. That won't be so but only if it's a coalition of compromise. It could be worse. Labour, the Greens, New Zealand First and Te Pāti Māori together have 63 seats. In a parliament of 123, that means they could have theoretically stolen the election. So thank Chris Hipkins for ruling Winston Peters out before the election. Now the horse-trading begins and the fight for influence between ACT and New Zealand First and the question exists as to who National will owe more to. The larger party, ACT, or the smaller party, New Zealand First, that gives them the final vital votes to form the government. It's the age-old question of coalitions — the saga of the tail and the dog. Meanwhile, the special votes have no good news for Labour. The final upshot is that just 26.9 per cent of New Zealand voted for the party. A sad result after over 50 per cent supported the party a short 3 years ago. The ultimate sign of the disaffection is Mt Albert where Helen White has held on but with an even smaller majority than on election night. In 2020 the majority was 20 thousand votes. Now it's just 20. A brutal swing which shows the verdict on the party, the policies and the candidate. There is no way that Helen can continue to say she's done well. And despite all the concessions Labour made to their Māori caucus and the policies that gave many New Zealanders conniptions, Māori have turned around and given their seats to Te Pāti Māori. The ultimate snub was to Labour's deputy leader Kelvin Davis, who has lost his seat. And if he's true to his word then he'll have to resign. Which can I say might be a blessing for Labour as it tries to rebuild. So here we are with a parliament of 122 seats about to become 123 under the bizarre vagaries of MMP. Certainly, if we had First past the Post this would have been a more clearcut process of government formation. But we don't. We have what we have and it's now over to our political leaders to show the maturity to stitch together a stable government to lead us through a period of time that becomes more complicated as time goes by. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years in the making, the Beatles are set to release their musical farewell to the world. 'Now and Then' features all four members on the track, and will be the last song credited to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr. The song is being released Friday and the video debuts on Saturday. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this song has been 45 years in the making, with AI enhancing the final product. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle- Sam Johnson, Projects Director at Still and Capital director Neale Jones joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! MPI has ordered 'brain drink' creators Ārepa to publish a notice saying some of its claimed health and performance benefits are unsubstantiated. Is this marketing misleading- or should consumers have known better? A search is underway at Erin Patterson's house in Victoria months after she cooked a deadly mushroom meal for her family. Patterson has been arrested- what happens next? Is there any way she can get a fair trial? The public service costs have continued to increase- up 4.5 percent on last year. The average annual salary for a public servant is $92,000- Will this probably reinforce the incoming Government's view that a trim is needed? Tomorrow's final election results are in- how do we think this will play out? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The economic outlook in the United States is looking up. GDP in America has increased at an annual rate of 4.9 percent in the third quarter in 2023, according to recent data. Their inflation is currently at 3.7 percent and consumer spending is surging. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds recaps the less-than-stellar market reaction to the ongoing US quarterly result season. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Shareholder confidence in New Zealand's primary sector listed companies has fallen to an eight-year low and dropped 22 percent on the 10 months since January. The S&P/NZX Primary Sector Index dropped to 10,000, a low not seen since January 2016. The Country's Jamie Mackay says only the Fonterra Shareholders Fund has managed to stay positive all year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The incoming National-led Government will soon have to make headway on their plans for the economy. The sector has already reported increased confidence, with data from Auckland's Business Chamber showing confidence levels are up 11 percentage points from before the election. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says the incoming Government will want to begin by clearing up the short-term economic issues. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The nervous wait is almost over for a number of MPs on the cusp of losing their spot in Parliament. The much-anticipated final results - including special votes - will be released tomorrow at 2pm. ZB political editor Jason Walls says a lot's riding on the last 570,000 votes to be counted. "On current numbers, National and ACT can form a slim majority. But it's likely the centre-right bloc will lose at least one or two seats- that means they'll need NZ First to form a Government." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Homes have been destroyed and tens of thousands of hectares of pasture have been burned up, as wildfires tear through Queensland. Conditions have eased today, but dozens of bushfire warnings are in place as firefighters struggle to bring the disasters back under control. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says firefighters are working to build containment lines around dangerous areas, as it's only a matter of time until temperatures flare up again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A New York Times piece explored the age-old conundrum- should children be excluded from dinner parties? A child-free couple were eager to spend time with friends, but weren't keen on including their kids on the guest list, sparking debate as to what the most ethical solution could be. NZ Listener food columnist Lauraine Jacobs is in favour of leaving kids out of the equation. "If my son and his wife want to see another couple, they often go out. People are prepared to get baby-sitters, aren't they?" LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A wave of business failings is expected on the horizon. BWA Insolvency's latest report shows 20 percent more business fell in the third quarter of 2023, than in the same time last year. Their managing director says more are inevitable, with the central Government attempting to drive down discretionary spending. Bryan Williams says there are also an increase in costs and labour shortages. "And there is a worldwide downturn of commercial activity. Add all those together, and the end of the rainbow doesn't look like gold." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A New Zealand-made drink company has been forced to publish a notice saying it's made some 'unsubstantiated' claims. Ārepa calls its product a 'brain drink', but the scientific community has questioned the assertion it boosts mental and athletic performance. The Ministry for Primary Industries has confirmed the notice the company had put online was compulsory, after an investigation into its labelling and advertising. Co-founder and co-chief executive Angus Brown says it's tough to balance complex, emerging science with health codes. "The issue with MPI is in relation to our use of the pre-approved health plans for vitamin C." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Australian media contingent's waiting outside a police station in a small Victorian town - hoping a woman at the centre of a fatal mushroom lunch will emerge. Erin Patterson's being questioned and her Leongatha home is being searched after her arrest this morning. Three people died in July after eating a meal she prepared in July. Australian correspondent Andrew McFarlane says Patterson's previously said she bought mushrooms for the dish at a store. "She says she actually ate the beef wellington in this case and she felt sick and went to hospital- but she also says her two kids, who were at the movie theatre when this meal took place, ate the meal the next day, but they scraped the mushrooms off and they were fine." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The mother of baby Ruthless-Empire - whose death is being investigated by police - has spoken out. Storm Angel Wall has told our newsroom after being told the toddler was choking, she rushed him to hospital, where he died. Police are treating the death as a homicide. Herald reporter Sam Sherwood, says Wall told him she denies being involved in the death. "She described him as the happiest little baby you'd ever see, she said that he was a happy, chappy baby. In her words, she said she was more than sad about what had happened." Our newsroom understands the mother was one of three staying at the Lower Hutt property at the time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps deny their fielding standards are slipping after slumping to a third straight defeat at the Cricket World Cup. They've been trounced by 190 runs by South Africa in Pune - New Zealand was rolled for 167 after allowing the Proteas to reach 357 for four. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Extra students are pressuring the roll, resources and planning at New Zealand's biggest school. Education Ministry data shows student rolls grew by nearly 16,000 pupils in the past year, and it says immigration is largely the reason. Rangitoto College Principal Patrick Gale says the school zone has had a lot of infill housing in the past few years. "And that's leading to higher population density, but the families that are choosing to move into those homes are often immigrants- so those two are inter-connected." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time tomorrow, we will know exactly what we voted for on the 14th of October. The release of the final voting figures will indicate exactly how many seats each party has, and how they can then be part of a coalition, and what the proportion is- and whether they can govern the country or not. To be honest, I had to ask my co-workers what date the election was on, because it felt so long ago. And the reason for that is because it's been over three weeks since October 14th. The length between the election and the counting of the votes has upset many people, including Christopher Luxon. Yesterday, he spoke to Mike Hosking, today he was talking about it in his stand-up. Yesterday, he said he needs to review the electoral law to find out why it takes so long- and perhaps make some changes. That electorate law, by the way? It's had a lot of changes that have been proposed, he's going to also have to look at the independent electoral review, which suggests all sorts of other changes- like a four year term and a lowering of the electoral threshold. There's a bit of work there. Those two ideas sound good to me- but you know what? I actually don't have a problem with how long it has taken to confirm this election result. I know roughly who's going to be leading the Government, I know what their policies are, I know what they're going to have to do to make them happen, I know what they want to do within the first 100 days. Do I need to know what the exact number is today, or yesterday, or a week ago- or on Friday afternoon? Not really. I know other places are quicker, and I know we're a small country. But as we learnt from the last election in America, this is not a thing that can be done wrong or have the implication that it might be done wrong. In New Zealand, we don't do elections wrong. And I actually think we've also enjoyed the three-week break from all the sniping and belly-aching and name-calling that oppositional politics delivers. But here's the thing, in this vacuum we have had, all sorts of rumours spring up. And I think I've seen this all over social media. Some hard-lefties are positive that the half-million special votes are going to the left bloc, which will change the shape of the election. Some people's loyalties strike them blind. I've seen some people reckon that New Zealand First's vote will go up, meaning that Winston will be Luxon's right-hand man- not David Seymour. They reckon that Luxon would enjoy the easier ride with Winston, because - be sure of it - Seymour's going to be tough on Luxon's inherent centrism, which he can't hide no matter how much he protests. Whatever, we don't know. We will know, for certain, without debate- at 2pm tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be great, we're going to start forming a Government after all. And given that Christopher Luxon, over the last two days, has been so impatient about the result of this election- I think it's obvious he must be willing to wheel and deal at pace. And then we can start working and moving forward, rather than standing still. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ongoing inquiry into the UK's response to the Covid-19 pandemic is still underway, and damning allegations have surfaced. Records kept by former chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance state that former Prime Minister Boris Johnson believed Covid was 'nature's way of dealing with old people'. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Johnson's pandemic response has been wildly criticised, as he kept flip-flopping as the crisis unfolded. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Nick Mills from ZB's Wellington Mornings and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! A school in Ōamaru is under fire after students were banned from contacting their parents on a school camp when a group of pupils and staff went missing. Do you think the kids should have been allowed their phones back? Chris Luxon says he's had a chat with Chris Bishop after he compared the Hamas attack to the Holocaust in an email to a member of the public. Is this an example of how difficult it is to tread the line when it comes to this issue? The Labour caucus is set to vote to decide whether or not they want to keep Chris Hipkins around to lead Labour. How do we rate his chances? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's sharemarket is in a steady decline, having dropped 20 percent from its January 2021 peak. The selloffs are accelerated, with a reported 10 percent fall over the past 3 months. Milford Asset Management's Mark Riggall explains why the market is in decline- and the role geopolitics has played in these figures. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank warns that mortgage stress is set to increase, with more households expected to default on payments. The banking regulator forecasts the portion of banks’ housing lending deemed “non-performing” will almost double by early 2025. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says portions are predicted to increase- but it won't reach the figures from the 2009 Global Financial Crisis. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon's attempted to rein in a top MP, after the leak of an email Chris Bishop sent a to a constituent, likening Hamas's attacks on Israel to the Holocaust. In the email leaked to social media, Bishop was critical of the murders of woman and children at the hands of Hamas. He said such barbarity has not been seen since the Holocaust. ZB political editor Jason Walls says activist groups against antisemitism have claimed Hamas' attacks on Israeli civilians saw the worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust- so Bishop technically isn't wrong. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As fireworks go up for sale ahead of Guy Fawkes Day, a survey has revealed a majority of Kiwis support a ban on their use. According to data released by AA Insurance, 53 percent of those surveyed supported a ban on recreational use and a further 20 percent wanted fireworks banned outright. Adrian Nacey from FENZ agrees with a potential ban, saying fireworks can cause property damage, injuries and harm to the environment. "That's not a decision for us to make, obviously, that's up to the Government. But we would support a ban on the public having access to fireworks." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The construction companies behind Transmission Gully are suing Waka Kotahi over the roading project, which remains unfinished. While the road is open, the project is still incomplete after missing multiple opening dates and has exceeded its initial $850 million budget. Waka Kotahi claimed there's a clear disagreement about the outstanding work and standards that need to be met to complete the project- aligning with the contract. Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett says problems and miscommunications were present throughout all the stages of this project. "This is the lesson from Transmission Gully- we need to build more, we've got a massive $200 billion infrastructure deficit. We've got to be better at renewing the assets we've got." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Oamaru school's under fire for barring students from calling their parents when a group of pupils and staff went missing on a camp. Two students and two staff from St Kevin's College went missing overnight last month at Mount Somers. Search and Rescue teams found them the next morning. Parenting commentator, Nathan Wallis says if it's school policy, it'd be okay. "If it was imposed on them and there's nowhere written down that they're allowed to do that and the parents could have a reasonable expectation that they could contact their kids at any time- then it's not acceptable." The school says it's ordered a full review. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.