Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The White House has confirmed Hamas is holding at least 20 Americans hostage- and 14 have been killed. The death toll in Israel since the Palestinian military group's attack has surpassed 1000, and more than 900 have been killed in retaliatory strikes on Gaza. US President Joe Biden has reiterated unwavering support for Israel, comparing Hamas to Isis. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Biden is unlikely to encourage the IDF to show restraint in their response as the death toll in Gaza climbs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dame Jacinda Ardern endorsed Labour in a Facebook livestream this morning. The former Prime Minister claimed a vote for Labour was the best way to guarantee further action on issues like climate change and child poverty. ZB political editor Jason Walls isn't convinced this move will sway all international voters over to Labour's side- as many haven't forgotten the party's Covid and MIQ debacle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The daughter-in-law of an elderly woman scammed out of $100,000 believes the bank should've picked it up. The Auckland victim was tricked into sending the money overseas to unlock an imaginary Covid subsidy payment. Kim Weston say her mother-in-law made 13 international money transfers in person at her local ASB. "She's been with the bank for 25 years, she'd never transferred any money before- maybe the first one would have been alright, but with the amount of times she's been in there, I thought if would have brought red flags straight away." The Banking Ombudsman is investigating the case. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of pro-Palestine supporters gathered to demonstrate outside the Israeli embassy in London. Three people were arrested during the protest, and police have assured Londoners that officers will have an enhanced presence to protect the public. UK correspondent Enda Brady says tension is running high between London's pro-Palestine and Jewish community as the conflict between Israel and Hamas intensifies. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, broadcaster Paddy Gower and current affairs commentator Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Israel Institute of NZ and Jewish Council are calling on the Government here to deem Hamas a terrorist organisation, and follow other Western countries in their condemnation. Should our Government do more in support of Israel? Chris Hipkins has hinted former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern could have some campaign involvement before Saturday's election. Could this extra boost sway some voters over to Labour's camp? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Celebrity medical practitioner and physician Dr Tom Mulholland died suddenly over the weekend. Mulholland hosted his own TV and radio shows, wrote two best-selling books and was a professional speaker for the likes of Google, Microsoft and Hilton. The Country's Jamie Mackay says he was an 'adventurer' and 'raconteur' who will be missed by many. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Chris Luxon has promised to double the value of exports in 10 years, if elected. The party also vowed to pursue Free Trade Agreements, pump up our trade missions, and prioritise increasing trade with India. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie isn't too confident about National's proposal. "The fact is, New Zealand's export performance unfortunately hasn't changed very much in the last 30 to 40 years- we're still sending about 20 percent of our stuff offshore." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to a new report from Auckland Council, dog attacks are on the rise. Data shows that aggressive or 'unwanted' dog behaviour has increased by 59 percent from last year, while dog attacks have increased by 28 percent. Auckland Council's Craig Hobbs says there's been a significant uptick in aggressive dog behaviour since Covid-19, as owners and pets have had to adjust to time apart. "People have adopted animals through Covid, they're no longer at home, they're working and the dogs are left to their own devices. We had a big explosion of animals through Covid." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins has locked in Saturday, November 25 as the date for the Port Waikato by-election. It's been triggered by the death of ACT candidate Neil Christensen - and is required by the Electoral Act. However, locals can still help choose the next Government before October 14. ZB political editor Jason Walls says there will be 121 MPs in Parliament by the end of the by-election, bucking the trend from previous electoral cycles. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon is promising to double the value of New Zealand's exports in 10 years, if elected. National's also vowing to pursue Free Trade Agreements, pump up our trade missions and prioritise increasing trade with India. National trade and export spokesperson Todd McClay says the UAE is interested in doing an exclusive trade deal with New Zealand. "For the first time in a long time, they want the high-quality protein, the food that we produce." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A cautious approach is urged to addressing contentious student flat initiations. There's been reports hazings have included animal cruelty- and the Otago Daily Times says some female students were forced to strip to underwear, body-shamed and called 'piggies'. Otago University Student Association president Quintin Jane says this kind of behaviour is unacceptable. He says people harming others or potentially committing criminal acts need to face consequences. "But also, I think it's worth being conscious that the university aren't our parents and they should stay out of our flats. These are adults involved, and we just need to make sure that there are appropriate processes followed." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland man has had an 'up-and-down' day trying to break the world record for most bungee jumps in 24 hours. Mike Heard's been leaping off Auckland's Harbour Bridge all day, raising money for the Mental Health Foundation. He's trying to finish 800 before 7am tomorrow- but he's slightly behind schedule. AJ Hackett Sales Manager Leo Medina is helping out, and he says the fundraising is going well- they're at over $5000 so far and aiming for $10,000. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The lab workers union, Apex, says Te Whatu Ora needs to have a thorough look at the country's labs. The health agency's assessing risk in labs nationwide after two workers at different caught typhoid from samples - and staff at Auckland's Community Anatomic Pathology were exposed to toxic fumes. President Bryan Raill says it's important to drill down into the risks are. "But also, they should look at the other health and safety aspect of the workload and the work environment that staff are working under." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Monday evening, pro-Palestine protesters marched to Sydney's Opera House, which was lit up in solidarity with Israel. The protesters started their rally at the Sydney Town Hall, but the event quickly got out of hand as anti-Semitic sentiments were chanted. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the protesters also lit up flares- but only one person was arrested by the end. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Israel Institute of New Zealand wants our country to deem Hamas in its entirety- a terrorist organisation. Currently, we only designate the Palestinian organisation's military wing that way. Hamas' surprise attack on Israel has killed at least 900, and almost 700 have died in Israel's retaliatory strikes on Gaza. Institute co-chair Dr David Cumin says changing New Zealand's stance would serve a two-fold purpose. "It stops New Zealanders being able to materially support terror like what we've seen conducted by Hamas over the last few days. And secondly, it is something that politicians can do to back up their words." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a 128-year wait, cricket is set to return to the Olympics. The ICC confirmed organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics will recommend cricket for inclusion at the Games. The proposal is due to get ratified by the IOC governing body session next week in Mumbai. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerned schools have asked the Privacy Commissioner about their options for installing CCTV in their bathrooms. In a bid to deter negative behaviour such as vaping and bullying in the toilets, schools are turning to cameras to monitor student activity. Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster is urging schools to assess the risks and potential privacy breaches ahead of future installations. "We absolutely understand the student safety argument, but we also want them to think really hard about student privacy arguments and values as well." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I reckon Hamas’ attack on Israel has probably set the Palestinian cause back by years, if not decades. For the last how long- Palestine has been regarded as the bullied and Israel as the bully. When was the last time anyone felt sorry for Israel? But now, so many people will, because we’re seeing images of Israeli kids being held in chicken cages, young women just walking on the street being forced into cars and abducted and civilian grandmothers being murdered. And suddenly, the cruelty and war crimes don’t just go one way- it’s become complex. And it’s not the straight-forward, simple Palestine good - Israel bad argument that many saw it as beforehand. Just look at what’s happened politically here in New Zealand. Palestine was this close to getting an ambassador to New Zealand, Labour had announced it as election policy about a week ago. Today, Chris Hipkins put a stop to that. The cause has been set back. And that’s not even to mention the real life impact this is having right now on Palestinians in the Gaza strip. Food is cut off, water’s cut off, electricity is cut off, medicine's cut off and the attack is on. This will surely - at least in the short term - shore up support for Benjamin Netanyahu who is no friend of the Palestinians and their cause, and has only made their lives more difficult. This makes him more powerful, at least for now. Hamas has just made life for Palestine so much harder, in reality and in politics. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A British-Israeli citizen and his wife have told of their 12 hour ordeal locked in a bomb-proof safe room as their home was attacked. Ben, who did not wish to give his surname, described a terrifying experience as Hamas militants stormed their home and set fire to it. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says there are many people who have joint British-Israeli citizenship who were likely impacted by the attack. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's claims voters could be forced into a second election has been met with backlash from commentators. The party's expressed concern over not striking a coalition deal with NZ First and warned Kiwis may be required to vote again. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan has labelled this threat 'gauche' and says National has no reason to scare people into voting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra's luck seems to have turned around, as they announced a positive revised forecast. The dairy co-op has lifts its farmgate milk price- with the midpoint up 50 cents, to $7.25 per kilogram of milk solids. Dairy Insights Consultant Stuart Davison says stronger demand from China is the driving force behind this outlook- but it's unclear how sustainable this demand is. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australians appear increasingly likely to reject the creation of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament ahead of the referendum. The latest wave of opinion polls show a majority of respondents are opposed to enshrining an Indigenous advocacy role in Australia’s constitution. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says younger voters haven't been given a proper explanation regarding the purpose of the referendum- and Anthony Albanese hasn't clarified further all year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks' training has intensified as the team prepares to meet rugby's number one side Ireland in a quarter-final on Sunday morning. Ireland have made the quarter-finals in eight of the nine World Cups, but have never advanced beyond the last eight. The competition is strong- but Sportstalk's Jason Pine predicts the All Blacks will come out on top. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Grant Robertson has labelled National's threat of a second election a 'panic move'. National leader Chris Luxon has warned of the possibility of an election do-over if NZ First is needed to form a Government. Robertson says this threat is a 'ridiculous situation' that National leaned into out of fear. "It's a completely ridiculous situation, it looks very panicky, very unstable. But that's their problem and that's what voters will judge them on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More pressure on Pharmac boss Sarah Fitt to resign. The Board Chair has met face to face with the Senior Leadership Team today over inappropriate emails sent about journalist Rachel Smalley. The chair instructed them to identify what can be done to prevent a situation like this from happening again. Two cancer patients have written an open letter asking for her resignation. Signatory Geoff Dawson says he felt like the mocking comments towards Smalley indicate a bigger problem. "It's the culture that creates that situation, then it's a spoilt culture. As Albert Einstein once said- you can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The death of ACT's Port Waikato candidate Neil Christensen will trigger a by-election. The Electoral Commission says party votes in the electorate will count for Saturday's election- but those for a Member of Parliament won't. Chief Electoral Officer Karl Le Quesne says this has a flow-on effect. He says once the by-election is run and we know who the successful candidate is- that will result in 121 MPs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand First's leader won't say how long it could take for them to strike a coalition deal if they hold the balance of power following the election. National has sparked fears there could be a long negotiation period if they can't form a Government with ACT alone. Winston Peters says they have a responsibility to deliver a strong, stable Government. "The reality is, if it takes time to get it right - say, it takes 12 days - well, that'll be fine." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israelis are questioning how Palestinian militant group, Hamas, breached the border from Gaza to attack Israel. More than 1100 Israelis and Palestinians have died since the surprise attack and at least 100 Israeli citizens have been taken hostage. Israeli tanks have moved along the border of neighbouring country, Lebanon, launching retaliatory strikes. Newshub correspondent Lisette Reymer, reporting from Tel Aviv, says this conflict has 'shattered' any sense of peace in the region. "Everybody now has learned to run to the bomb shelters, to really pay attention to those air raid sirens, where the average Israeli has not done that and does not usually encounter air raid sirens." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every Monday until the election, The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, former Business NZ CEO Phil O’Reilly and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills have the insight word and analysis. This week the The Spinoff’s Editor-at-Large Toby Manhire steps in for Barry Soper. Our expert panel discusses National’s warning that if it can’t get a suitable deal with New Zealand First and Winston Peters – it may lead to a second election. They also chat about Act’s sizeable drop in the polls – and what’s leading driving their numbers down. The experts dissect the electorates to watch - and chat both Sir John Key and Helen Clark getting involved in the campaign. Plus, each will reveal their favourite policy of the campaign – and give their election night prediction. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ZB political editor Jason Walls spoke to Heather about National having to admit their tax cuts won't cover everyone, the polls showing Winston will be needed, Chris Hipkins spending the week in lockdown, and where things stand for the last week of the campaign. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Correspondent Gavin Grey talked to Heather about setbacks in the SNP quest for an independent Scotland, supervised tooth brushing in England, and whether Banksy will finally be unmasked. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asia business correspondent Peter Lewis talked to Heather about the high costs of owning a car in Singapore, China hopes Golden Week Holiday will deliver an economic boost, and Asia facing one of the worst economic outlooks in half a century. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well you might have noticed that we haven't talked to Rod Oram for a few weeks. That's because he's been on his bike. He's just completed a 5000km journey from Kazakhstan to Turkey. Rod spoke with Heather about his trip. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks have locked in their quarterfinal at the Rugby World Cup. They weren't off to the best start this morning, failing to score for the first 19 minutes, but they ended up beating Uruguay 73-0. Newstalk ZB rugby reporter Elliott Smith is in France and spoke to Heather about the game. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're yet to use your Air New Zealand credit from Covid times, you have an extra two years to do so. The airline today announced it's extended the deadline until 31st of January 2026. It's still got $200 million worth of credits on its books and wants to find as many travellers who might not realise the money is sitting there in the meantime. Air New Zealand CFO Richard Thomson spoke to Heather about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, host of the All Sports Breakfast Adam Cooper and Newstalk ZB rugby commentator Paul Allison joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has reportedly been banned from attending All Blacks games, with officials saying he would be too much of a distraction. Is there any possible justification for that? The All Blacks have marched into the World Cup quarter finals after hammering Uruguay. Will we get Scotland? The fallout from Hawke's Bay breaking the Ranfurly Shield in half continues with an investigation by New Zealand Rugby underway. Do we believe the union's response? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 24 year old accused of the stabbing at New Windsor dairy was on electronic monitored bail. Today the prosecutor told the court the accused took his bracelet off before going into the dairy. The prosecutor says police wanted media to publish the fact police opposed giving him bail at the time. He is now in custody. National justice spokesperson Paul Goldsmith talked to Heather about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act leader David Seymour's putting the latest poll result down to telling hard truths not everyone wants to hear. Both the Tax Payer Curia poll and the Talbot Mills Research poll both have the party on nine percent. In one of those polls Act has fallen by 5 percent. Seymour told Heather du-Plessis Allan he won't shrink from taking on the challenges the country faces. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a week and a day to go voting, you would have to say the biggest disappointment of this campaign is Act. We have got a couple of polls out today: The Taxpayers Union Curia poll and the Talbot Mills research poll both have Act in the single digits for the first time in their polling since April. ACT has been sliding this entire campaign and a lot of it will be because of David Seymour’s performance. In the debate last night, and in the TV3 minor leaders debate 2 weeks ago he was not flash. He was like a robot. He was too serious. The fighting with Winston is getting a little silly and he just over-talked. He was like AI: you type in a question, hit enter, and it just keeps going for minutes on end And it’s a bummer because this is not the David Seymour that we know. We got used to the guy with the sense of humour, who said the French the coq, who twerked on TV against all advice, who was basically the leader of the opposition for most of the last three years. Where's that guy gone? I think he’s lost his confidence. Political insiders know that he lost his star staff member, his media advisor earlier this year and I think we expected ACT to sort of stumble a bit after that but not this much. On the polls out today, ACT has lost as many as a third of its voters. I can’t think of a bigger collapse in a vote during a campaign since Metiria Turei blew up the Greens with her benefit fraud admission But for the Greens, at least you could blame it on one single bad decision. For ACT, it’s baffling, and it’s more like they’ve run out of steam.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boss of Pharmac has come under fire today for writing disparaging emails about journalist Rachel Smalley. Sarah Fitt wrote several emails to her team about Smalley and in one of them Fitt shares one of Smalley's articles about cancer patients with the subject line "sigh". Other emails have staff members making fun of the journalist, writing a limerick about her and celebrating when she lost her job. Pharmac's chair Steve Maharey called the internal emails unacceptable and unprofessional, and said Fitt had apologised for the language used in the email. The public service commissioner said the comments were completely unacceptable, and Health Minister Ayesha Verrall said she was disappointed. Smalley spoke to Heather about what happened. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Joe Biden will use money left over from Donald Trump's term to extend a border wall. A portion of border in Texas separating the US and Mexico will be expanded as the country continues to manage an influx of migrants. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du-Plessis Allan this is a head-scratcher as Biden has been against Trump's idea of a wall for some time. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two new election polls show that National Party leader Christopher Luxon will need to call Winston Peters if he wants to form a government. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls spoke to Heather about it, and what is happening in the last few weeks of the campaign. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps despatched England in a nine wicket victory in their first Cricket World Cup pool game, where Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra both smashed unbeaten centuries and put on a record 273 for the second wicket, helping New Zealand easily overhaul England’s 282-9. Meanwhile, the All Blacks roared into the quarter finals with a 73-0 victory over Uruguay in their last pool game. Weekend Sport host Jason Pine spoke with Heather about the two results and what happens next. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's not uncommon for us to tell you on this show that a judge has discounted a criminal's sentence because of a cultural report. Generally this is because the report mentions that the person has poverty, trauma, addiction or something else in their background that means they should receive a lighter sentence. Well it turns out there is actually no legal requirement for cultural report writers to check if any of the information they're told by the accused is true. This came to the fore in a case in Hamilton, where the judge highlighted that information in a cultural report didn't match up with a pre-sentence report written about the same person. Lead cultural report writer Sentence Equality Lead cultural report writer Tara Oakley spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the issue. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has proposed raising the smoking age year by year, until cigarettes are eventually phased out. Sunak says these incremental changes mean children who turn 14 this year and those younger would never be able to legally access cigarettes. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this proposal could bring down cancer rates- but also open up a lucrative black market within a few years. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and former National staffer Ben Thomas joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Sir John Key got involved in a last ditch effort to turn out voters for National, following growing fears of a three-way coalition with ACT and NZ First. Is this a sign of desperate times for National? Grant Robertson has labelled National's tax policy a 'scam', and claimed less than one percent of all households will get the $250 relief per fortnight. Is this fair criticism? What else could National be hiding? Is it fair to blame the Electoral Commission for all the missing vote packs if NZ Post is so slow these days? Is this a sign that we need a better system? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand reached its hottest September on record this year, according to new data. NIWA’s Climate Summary for the month said the nationwide average temperature was 11.9C, 1.3C above the 1991-2020 September average. The Country's Jamie Mackay says we're staring down the barrel of a dry El Nino summer- which has consequences for the rural sector. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's official cash rate has stayed in place at 5.5 for the last four months- yet several banks have hiked their mortgage rates. Anyone who has re-fixed a mortgage in the past few months has felt the sting of increased rates ticking upwards. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says these hikes are proof New Zealand is at the mercy of international market forces, namely the US and China. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Independent milk processor Tatua has announced a record-shattering payout for their farmer-shareholders. The company has paid out $12.30/kgMS for milk supplied last season, beating out last year's $11.30/kgMS. Tatua chief executive Brendhan Greaney says the company's had an odd start to the year, with fluctuating commodity ingredient prices having an impact on their overall earnings. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's mayor has fired back at National for its claims the council has $300 million of unspent fuel tax money just sitting in its accounts. The party is campaigning on scrapping the region's fuel tax within its first 100 days in Government, if elected. Finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis says the revenue it has already made will continue to be available for transport projects. But mayor Wayne Brown says that money is already committed. "Just cause it's not in our bank- it's like if you build a house that's going to cost you $1 million, you make sure you've got $1 million before you start. As it gets built, you slowly pay for it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.