Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

ASB's CEO isn't surprised by today's reduced half-year profit. The bank has reported a 11 percent fall, due to slower lending, reduced margins and higher costs. CEO Vittoria Short says their profitability is linked to New Zealand's economy. "We've seen a slowing in growth as headwinds impact everything from inflation that's feeding through to businesses and homes- and also the rising interest rate environment. That's really contributed to the decline." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's Auditor-General has spoken out against Government agencies, claiming their reporting produces 'a lot of rubbish'. John Ryan told the Finance Select Committee that agencies like to tick off 'project milestones', but their actual accomplishments are 'questionable'. He says the general public doesn't get to see or experience the outcomes of these reported milestones. "The public really wants to know what outcomes they're getting from these projects, not whether they're managing it on a day-to-day basis. That's much more than management activity." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's clear rodents caught in two Woolworths stores could pose a food safety risk. The Dunedin South store has been closed since Friday, and 23 rats have been trapped, in the second infestation since late last year. Meanwhile, Christchurch's Eastgate store is being investigated after video posted online showed a mouse on a salad. Massey University Professor, Steve Flint, says mice and rats could contaminate food with salmonella or E. coli bacteria. "There is some risk, whether it's a big risk or not depends on how many rats or mice are involved, how long they've been there for- and a whole range of other things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Resignations by Fletcher Construction's two top players can be traced back to a single project. The company has reported a $120 million half-year loss after tax. Chief Executive Ross Taylor and Chair Bruce Hassall have announced they'll both leave this year. Taylor says remediation for the SkyCity fire in 2019 was the most complicated thing he's seen in 40 years in the industry. "We basically progressively only understood what we were up against- and then we had to re-forecast. In the end, I think the team's done a great job to keep it on track, program wise, and we really couldn't forecast until we worked out how to do this stuff." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews are battling a significant vegetation fire in Christchurch's Port Hills. Early Valley, Worsley Spur, Worsleys Road and Princess Margaret Hospital have been evacuated, with multiple evacuation centres in place. Summit Road is closed between Dyers Pass and Gebbies Pass Roads, and residents in that area need to be ready to evacuate at short notice. Newstalk ZB's Emily Ansell is at the base of the Port Hills, and she says helicopters are on the scene trying to control the blaze. "The fire looks like it's burning up that pine forest just up on the Port Hills, to the right of the park." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's social development spokeswoman is flaming the Government for suggesting tweaking benefits will get more people in jobs. The Coalition is working under urgency to pass a Bill through the House to link benefit rises with inflation - not wage growth. Social Development Minister Louise Upston says it will ensure people can meet basic needs, and make employment the best way to get ahead. MP Carmel Sepuloni says the evidence doesn't support it making a difference. "Keep in mind, there's a whole lot of people that are on benefits because of health conditions, a disability, perhaps they are sole parents." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is amazing, isn't it? How the story of one rat in a Dunedin supermarket has just blown up for Countdown. First, it was a photo of a couple of rats in the supermarket in Dunedin. Then there were more rats caught, then the supermarket closed for two days, then it closed for another day and now it's closed indefinitely- until they finish catching the rats. At last count, it was 19 just since Friday. Then there was the video of the mouse on the salad in the Christchurch store, then the news that the salad was thrown away, but pretty much every thing else in the deli wasn't. And a couple of people bought stuff out of the deli after the mouse was found, and now the MPI is investigating and people are talking about boycotting those supermarkets, and my colleagues tell me they’re never buying anything uncovered from a supermarket again. Fair enough, rats and mice are gross- but if you're realistic about it, rats and mice are part of the supermarket business. If you’ve got food sitting around, and supermarkets have lots of that, it will attract pests. This is a battle they're constantly fighting. The problem for Countdown is not actually that the rats and the mice were there, it's that Countdown didn’t take it seriously. The mouse on the salad is gross, 100 percent, but what’s way more gross is that the staff kept selling out of that deli and didn't throw the stuff away. The rats in Dunedin are pretty gross, but what’s worse is that we found out they've been there causing trouble since November and Countdown was trying to get on top of it but hadn't escalated the problem like they should have, prompting an investigation in late January. It's awkward for Countdown, because they are in the middle of a rebrand to Woolworths in part to get the brand away from all the negative associations customers make between the Countdown brand and the allegations that supermarkets over-charge us. Well, it's a tough start for Woolworths because it’s got the rats and mice attached to it. Once again, this is a lesson that the most important thing is not what happens, but how to respond to it. Unfortunate things happen to all of us in a personal or business capacity- and it’s often not the unfortunate thing that gets you in the most trouble but the failure to fess up about it and handle it properly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two key by-elections are taking place in the UK this week. Voters will head to the polls in Wellingborough and Kingswood on Thursday February 15- and the Tories are projected to lose these seats. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Rishi Sunak is continuing to lag in the polls and some are calling for Boris Johnson to step in ahead of the upcoming general election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Auckland trains have been cancelled again today due to heat, and there's a warning this could continue until March. AT is blaming KiwiRail and KiwiRail is blaming the weather- can this be fixed? The Retirement Commissioner says it would be better to means test the New Zealand Superannuation Fund instead of raising the retirement age for everyone. Is this a good idea? A video of Travis Kelce shouting at his coach during the Super Bowl raised a few eyebrows- is this a sign of potential anger management issues? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra has lifted their 2023-24 season forecast farmgate milk price to $7.80 per kilogram of milk solids. Chief executive Miles Hurrell claims the 30 cent increase was inspired by a streak of 5 strong GDT auctions. The Country's Jamie Mackay says this is a good start, but some dairy experts believe it should be higher. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are growing calls for Fletcher Building to make some leadership changes ahead of tomorrow's half-year result. The company has been placed in a trading halt, and it's been revealed Chief Executive Ross Taylor is 'considering his position'. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says it's a complex situation- and it's unclear if removing Taylor will solve everything. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand has gotten one step closer to getting a third medical school to counteract shortages. Waikato University and the Ministry of Health have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a business case for the program. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it's unclear how the Government plans to keep this new set of trained doctors where they need to be. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former leaders from both sides of the nation's political factions have come together to push back against New Zealand joining AUKUS. Ex-Prime Minister Helen Clark and her 2005 election rival Don Brash have co-written an editorial warning, claiming New Zealand needs to safeguard its independent foreign policy. Former National leader Don Brash says New Zealand has developed good working relationships with the US and China, and joining AUKUS would complicate that. "What's changed in the last 10 years is that the United States has suddenly recognised China as a 'peer competitor', and they don't like it. They're pushing very hard to get countries to jump on one bandwagon or the other." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A third medical school in New Zealand is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Ministry of Health has signed a memorandum of understanding with Waikato University to progress a business case, one of the tasks on the Government's 100-day plan. University of Waikato Vice-Chancellor Neil Quigley says they're hoping to take in the first set of students by 2027. "We've worked with our partners in Australia, looking at the curriculum development and accreditation work we need to do. We're sort of set to go as soon as we get the green light from Cabinet." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns some enrolment requirements could be preventing children from accessing their local school. Last month, the Ministry of Education had to intervene after an Auckland school told a woman who lived within zone that she couldn't enrol her child without a 12-month tenancy agreement. Auckland Grammar headmaster Tim O'Connor says a short-term tenancy agreement is worth monitoring- to ensure nobody cheats the system. "The problem is- we have so many people making choices about the school that they want to go to that's not their local school. In our instance for example, we had 752 out-of-school enrolments in form 3 this year." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A storied 16-year professional basketball career will soon come to an end for Breakers forward Tom Abercrombie. The club's all-time leader in games and points will retire at the conclusion of the NBL season, after winning four championships with the side. Abercrombie made his debut in 2008, and has racked up a record 425 appearances during his long-running athletic career. He says he's 'extremely grateful' for the time he's spent on the team, but he's ready for his next adventure. "It's time for me to experience new challenges and adventures, and pass that baton over to someone else." Abercrombie's final home game for the Breakers will likely be this Friday against Brisbane at Spark Arena. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is facing pressure from more than 9,000 doctors to urgently re-consider repeals to the Smokefree Amendment Act. Some of New Zealand's leading health organisations have banded together to issue a formal request. It asks that, rather than being scrapped in the first 100 days as planned, a new bill is sent to the health select committee. Council of Medical Colleges chair Samantha Murton says there are parts of the law that should remain. "There's a lot of evidence around the measures that are really helpful for reducing cigarette smoking and getting hooked on it, and we need to make sure we're focused on those." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a push for a shake up of the Fletcher Building board. The construction company is in a trading halt ahead of the release of its half-year results tomorrow. CEO Ross Taylor is also 'considering his position'. Shareholders Association Chief Executive Oliver Mander says whatever woes the company has, they're down to more than just Taylor. "We do think this is a wider conversation than the CEO, and certainly we've been critical of the board in the past in terms of how it has approached certain issues." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asbestos has been detected in at least three parks in Sydney's city centre, and an investigation is under way. Authorities confirmed traces of asbestos were discovered in Harmony Park, Victoria Park, and Belmore Park- three popular public parks. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the friable asbestos identified is particularly dangerous, and the city council is 'apoplectic'. "It's very easily crushed, it can form dust and that releases little fibres that can get into your lungs and ultimately kill you." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spinner Rachin Ravindra continues to dominate with the ball for New Zealand against South Africa in the final session on the opening day of the second cricket test at Hamilton. Moments ago the Proteas were 161 for six - the left-arm orthodox has figures of three for 24 from an unbroken 16-over spell at the southern end. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concern Auckland's rail issues are a 'bit muddy' with a lack of clarity around the sudden drove of cancellations. Auckland Transport has limited services yesterday and today due to 'heat' affecting track steel. The Public Transport Users Association's Jon Reeves says he's heard claims some work KiwiRail was meant to do over Christmas to prepare trains for heat wasn't done. He says coincidentally, the issues have emerged after the holiday closures. "I don't think everyone's been clear to the media or the public what the issue is, but the end result is- Auckland train users are really having a bad summer." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It looks almost certain that the CEO of Fletcher Building is gone. The company put the shares in a trading halt yesterday, and announced that Ross Taylor would be reconsidering his position. Which says to me- he’s resigning tomorrow. I can’t see a way for him to come out and say he’s not resigning after that statement’s been made. And if he does go, which seems more likely than not, I doubt very much he’ll be alone. I suspect there will be other members of the executive - and maybe even the board - walking out that door with him. And I don’t think anyone's gonna cry any tears over this. Fletcher Building is not a business that you can argue is doing right by its shareholders. There have been calls for the board and the CEO to resign for at least two years, because the company just keeps lurching from one problem to the other. There was the high rise disaster, then the convention centre disaster, then the GIB board disaster, then the pipes problem over in Australia, and then just last week- the $180 million cost blow out on the Convention Centre and the Wellington parking building. As Sam Stubbs from Simplicity pointed out when he was on our show calling for the resignations last week- in the last two years, the NZX has gone up 7.5 percent and Fletcher Building’s shares have gone down 16.5 percent. That’s not average performance, that’s a very bad performance. Meanwhile, the directors asked for a 25 percent pay increase last year, until they got told that was a bad idea and withdrew it. And Taylor, if you listen to the analysts, gets paid about three times what other CEOs of similar sized listed companies get paid. There are significant shareholders who are pretty cross, and I don’t reckon they’ll settle for just Ross Taylor’s scalp tomorrow. I would expect not just one resignation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

King Charles says it's heartening to hear how his cancer diagnosis has helped promote public understanding of the disease. He's released his first statement following the announcement, thanking everyone for messages of support. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Charles could be moving to a Sandringham farmhouse for the time being- the same one Prince Philip spent his final days in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and broadcaster Paddy Gower joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Auckland Transport has voiced disapproval with KiwiRail for shutting the trains down over today's heat level. Is this fair? Is this the sign of a bigger problem. ACT and David Seymour have shot up in the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll to 13.7 percent. What does this mean- do voters want the Treaty debate after all? Some lobbyists have been given back swipe-card access to Parliament, and a draft of a voluntary code of conduct for lobbyists has been leaked. Should we demand more transparency from lobbyists? Do we need a cooldown period? Heather recently took her two-year-old to the hairdresser for a haircut that cost $40. Is that unreasonable? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon and Finance Minister Nicola Willis are planning to make some changes to public sector agencies. Speculation indicates they could shoulder-tap people with a certain level of business experience to take on leadership roles. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis out to buy their first home may soon find that process a lot harder. Under the Reserve Bank's proposed new debt-to-income lending rules, it has been estimated an Auckland family would need $172,000 a year to buy an average-priced home. These rules could come into effect by June 2024, in order to stop first home buyers and owner occupiers borrowing more than six times their annual income. CoreLogic economist Kelvin Davidson says these changes could have a positive impact in the long run and tie house prices closer to incomes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis out to buy their first home may soon find that process a lot harder. Under the Reserve Bank's proposed new debt-to-income lending rules, it has been estimated an Auckland family would need $172,000 a year to buy an average-priced home. These rules could come into effect by June 2024, in order to stop first home buyers and owner occupiers borrowing more than six times their annual income. CoreLogic economist Kelvin Davidson says these changes could have a positive impact in the long run and tie house prices closer to incomes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwis out to buy their first home may soon find that process a lot harder. Under the Reserve Bank's proposed new debt-to-income lending rules, it has been estimated an Auckland family would need $172,000 a year to buy an average-priced home. These rules could come into effect by June 2024, in order to stop first home buyers and owner occupiers borrowing more than six times their annual income. CoreLogic economist Kelvin Davidson says these changes could have a positive impact in the long run and tie house prices closer to incomes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SkyCity could be forced to cough up millions for alleged breaches of legislation on money laundering. The Department of Internal Affairs is accusing SkyCity of violating the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism Act, after a company review. NZ Herald property editor Anne Gibson says SkyCity will be more concerned about the hits to their reputation, over a prospective fine. "This is quite damaging to them, it's not so much about the fine- if there is one." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister plans to implement a 39 percent trustee tax rate by April 1. This increase follows on from Labour's proposed plan for trustee tax rates from Budget 2023. Nicola Willis says the Government is looking to fix up Labour's legislation to ensure rates are properly aligned. "We're concerned that when Labour lifted the top tax rate, that misaligning it with the trust rate would lead to some avoidance activity. The evidence suggests that is what's happened, so we want those rates to stay in alignment." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has unveiled their own legislation designed to replace Three Waters. Prime Minster Chris Luxon confirmed Three Waters will be scrapped by February 23, as part of the Government's 100-day plan. It will be replaced by two new bills by mid-2025 in order to phase in the alternative: Local Water Done Well. Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says the new legislation will allow local council-controlled organisations to have more input. "We'll be enabling that through legislation throughout this year, and that will ensure that councils are able to have their long-term investment in water infrastructure over the long term to get the infrastructure New Zealanders need." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a surprising turnaround, the Kansas City Chiefs emerged victorious at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22, capturing their third title in five years. Grammy-winning R&B icon Usher also performed at half-time- with surprise collaborators Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Lil Jon and H.E.R. SiriusXM Ben Harlum said plenty of celebrities turned up to watch the game, including Taylor Swift, who flew halfway around the world to watch her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. "The Chiefs fans were loving it, she seemed to have a great time in the suite and on the field as part of a victory celebration for her boyfriend, Travis." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Transport's not impressed by heat causing train cancellations. Some services were canned on the Eastern, Western and Southern line today, after track steel reached 48 degrees in parts. AT's Stacey van der Putten says people deserve better than a network that can't run at capacity on a mildly warm summer day. "What we're seeing over recent weeks is what I'd call a reliability failure- that's been pretty consistent. Of course it's when everybody's coming back to work, coming back to school, it does have a huge impact on trust and confidence in our network." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Commissioner says demand for police to respond to social harm is displacing their ability to attend other jobs.The briefing to the new minister included proposing going less to family harm callouts, which have risen 80 percent in the past 10 years. Commissioner Andrew Coster says officers would like to be doing more work only police can do. He says a managed withdrawal from harm callouts is the only way to free them up. "The ideal situation here would be that others step up to deal with this demand, because arguably- help should be available in some of these situations." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has revealed their replacement for Three Waters. Prime Minister Chris Luxon says the existing legislation will be scrapped by the end of next week, as part of the 100-day plan. It will be replaced by two new bills within the next 18 months, with guidance from a Technical Advisory Group to help shape water plans. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says dismantling this system and setting up a new one will put extra strain on taxpayers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barnaby Joyce has admitted to making 'a mistake', after a compromising video of him on a Canberra street surfaced. In the video, Joyce had fallen on the ground off a planter box and was swearing into his phone after a long parliamentary sitting day. The former deputy prime minister has blamed the mix of alcohol and prescription medication for his actions last Friday. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says several people have spoken up to defend Joyce after the incident. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kansas City Chiefs have beaten the San Francisco 49ers 25 to 22 to win Super Bowl LVIII in an overtime thriller in Las Vegas. The Chiefs are the ninth team to go back to back and defend their title. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tauranga residents were asked to work from home today to avoid traffic congestion. A failed stormwater drain caused a cavity underneath State Highway 29A, forcing the road to close near Oropi. NTZA acting Bay of Plenty maintenance and operations manager, Roger Brady, says he's hoping the road will open tomorrow morning. "We're hugely fortunate in that that piece of road wasn't constrained by services, there were no water pipes running down the side of it, there were no gas pipelines, there were no streets in the way." A lane of Totara St was also closed, and should reopen tomorrow. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dunedin South's Countdown has now closed for 48 hours - after more rats have been found. The supermarket made headlines last month when staff told the Otago Daily Times about a rat infestation. Employees said they feared the public could have bought contaminated food. Woolworth's stores director Jason Stockill told Heather du Plessis-Allan they've pro-actively closed - to let pest-control workers thoroughly check the store. He says MPI and Rentokil have confirmed they're not nesting in the store and it's not a food safety issue. Stockill says the rats are coming from outside - and Rentokil will be figuring out how they're getting in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transport Minister Simeon Brown says he's keen to help Auckland Council bring in tolls and time of use charging, what many of us would consider congestion charging. Councillor Richard Hills is the chair of the Planning Committee and he told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that the they hope a congestion charge is not a revenue tool it is a 'behaviour change tool'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists at our biggest bank expect the Reserve Bank will increase the Official Cash Rate. ANZ's changed its forecast, now predicting 25 basis point hikes in February and in April. That would take the OCR to six percent -- from its current 5.5. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner told Heather du Plessis Allan that the Reserve Bank said it was very close to hiking it again in November. She says since then, a series of small but consistent surprises suggest inflation will take long to get back to target. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top end charity executives are taking home on average half a million dollars a year. The Herald business investigations reporter Matt Nippert has been crunching the numbers. Waipareira's John Tamihere is up there - followed by the Vice Chancellors from Auckland and Victoria Universities. Childfund chief executive, Josie Pagani, didn't make the list. She told Heather du-Plessis Allan that a bit of a double standard applies. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look, I don't want to be that guy that comes out and declares that Biden's re-election chances are stuffed. Just in case there’s a tiny chance I get proven wrong, But I think Biden's re-election chances are stuffed. Not only because of the report that landed today, but then because of the press conference he called where he tried to defend himself and made it worse Let me get you across this. The report landed about 7 hours ago and it’s written by a neutral official who was tasked with getting to the bottom of whether Biden did anything wrong by keeping those classified documents in his garage. He found that Biden did do something wrong. He "wilfully retained and disclosed classified materials" But then decided against prosecuting Biden because no jury would find him guilty Because they would feel sorry for a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." And the reason he thought that was because in his conversations with Biden Biden couldn't’ even remember what years he was vice president under Obama And couldn't’ remember when his son had died That report alone was probably enough to kill off his re election chances given the level of worry among voters in the US over his senility ... about ¾ told an NBC poll this week that they're worried. But then Biden calls a surprise press conference to defend himself. And makes it worse. By answering a question about the war in Gaza and then confusing the president of Egypt with the president of Mexico There is completely separate report today about a fundraising dinner in New York on Wednesday at which he recounted talking about the 2020 election with the German chancellor Helmut Kohl but Kohl died in 2017. Truth is these concerns about Biden's marbles aren’t new.. .and they were already significant enough to make it very hard for him to be re-elected anyway But if you want to, in future, look back and find the moment that it became a certainty... i think this is it This is the death knell See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Harry Potter cast member has made an unfortunate parking blunder after a night out. Actress Emma Watson accidentally left her Audi A3 in an illegal parking spot, blocking a pizza restaurant manager in for over 3 hours. UK correspondent Enda Brady explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Beveridge from ZB's Weekend Collective and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Auckland Regional Fuel Tax will be no more after July 1. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has since released a long list of projects that he'll have to cancel as a result. Will this be better or worse for Aucklanders? How do we feel about facial recognition software in supermarkets? Will this reduce retail crime? The Law Society has come out against the Government's plan to scrap funding for cultural reports, claiming it will lead to limited access to justice. Is this fair? What do we think? The average recipient of the main Jobseeker payment is expected to spend 13 years on the benefit. What do we do about this? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US quarterly results season is well underway, with 60 percent of companies reporting their results. The marker has been bullish overall- but there are some clear winners and losers. Fisher Funds senior portfolio manager Sam Dickie says big tech is still dominating, but Tesla has been struggling. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's speculation higher farmgate milk prices are on the way following a strong GDT auction result. All of Fonterra’s main reference products rallied strongly at this week's auction, driven by demand from the Middle East and improved interest from China. The Country's Jamie Mackay says customers should get their dairy products quickly, before the change kicks in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could the incoming Year of the Dragon bring more luck for China's struggling economy? Ahead of Chinese New Year, the nation's economy is still feeling the negative impact left over from the Covid-19 pandemic. Chinese GDP grew by 5.2 percent last year, according to official statistics- a reflection that confidence hasn't yet returned. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains what this downturn means for New Zealand's economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auckland Regional Fuel Tax will end on June 30, as part of the Government's 100-day action plan. Prime Minister Chris Luxon says Aucklanders have been paying an extra $11.5 cents per litre since mid-2018- and this will save drivers money. Mayor Wayne Brown has criticised this decision, saying this will leave a billion-dollar funding hole for transport projects over the next four years. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Government will either have to contribute more to Auckland- or ratepayers will have to cover the difference. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workers in Australia could be given the legal right to refuse unreasonable contact from their employers outside of work hours. The Greens' push for a legislated right to disconnect is gaining support with the Australian federal Government. The law would give employees legal backup in handling conversations with employers who they feel are asking too much of them. South Australia Greens Senator Barbara Pocock says they're simply looking at giving workers a chance to say no. "If you're not paid to be available and it's a big intrusion, not an emergency or essential, you should have the chance to turn off when you clock off." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.