Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The resumption of train services between Auckland and Hamilton is being marked as an 'excellent outcome'. Waka Kotahi has lifted its ban on Te Huia trains entering metro Auckland, accepting Kiwirail's alternative safety proposals. Trains will again be able to continue into The Strand in Parnell from August 7. Waikato Regional Councillor Angela Strange says there'll be free fares for a week when it returns. She says it's to acknowledge the disruption to passengers. "So we've costed that investment at around $12,000 for the whole week, which is pretty small given the total running costs." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over 40 people have been killed in the wildfires threatening villages and holiday resorts across the Mediterranean. Greece is preparing for more evacuation flights from Rhodes, as fires also rage on the islands of Corfu and Evia. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says temperatures are expected to rise above 44C in parts of Greece and the heatwave shows no signs of letting up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, STILL Director of Projects Sam Johnson and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Post is reporting one first-term MP allegedly told colleagues they had been bullied and yelled at by Kiri Allan. Meanwhile, David Parker says he didn't want to be Revenue Minister anymore because he didn't want to ditch the Wealth Tax. Are Labour MPs starting to turn against each other? James Shaw has increased the price of carbon by 44 percent, despite the Government earlier stating they didn't want to do that because it would add to cost of living pressures. What do we make of this move? 65 percent of shoppers prefer homebrand products- or at least agree that they're just as good as branded products according to a new EY survey. Do we agree? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will explore ways to simplify travel across the ditch. The two leaders met in Wellington today, and they agreed to put together a joint expert group to make the journey across the Tasman more seamless. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says his concern is that New Zealand isn't taking their connection with Australia seriously and trans-Tasman travel needs to be improved. "We should aspire, at some point, to have a dual trans-Tasman visa. If you're coming for FIFA, for example, you don't have to flap around with two different bits of paperwork." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Reserve Bank governor Don Brash believes the RBNZ should be empowered to lift fuel taxes to fight inflation. He stated in a blog post that increased fuel taxes would encourage people to to reduce their spending elsewhere- meaning inflation would fall. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says Don Brash's proposed solution is 'messy', and it would impact people differently. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research shows consumers are gravitating towards home brand products due to the rising cost of living. EY data indicates that 65 percent of people believe these home brand products satisfy their needs as much as branded products. The data also shows Gen Z are less willing to buy private label products than Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials. Massey University marketing professor Bodo Lang says the cost of living is definitely a factor- but notes that retailer marketing has gotten more sophisticated. "They're segmenting the market, they're targeting different groups of consumers. They've learned a lot of tricks from the established brands." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has boosted the Emissions Trading Scheme’s auction reserve price- and increased the overall price of carbon by 44 percent. It's also raising trigger prices for the cost containment reserve in the scheme, meaning there will be 17.6 million fewer units to be auctioned. ACT Environment spokesperson Simon Court says this change is a sign James Shaw is failing to take what's important to New Zealanders into account. "By adopting the Climate Change Commission's recommendations to jack up the carbon price from $50 to $80 to $100 to even $200 a ton in a short space of time- that's going to add a significant weight to the cost of living." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Dickason’s mother has taken the stand to give evidence at her triple murder trial. She's accused of murdering her three young daughters in Timaru in 2021. Her defence opened its case today - painting Dickason as a mentally disturbed woman in the depths of postpartum depression. The Herald's Anna Leask says her mother Wendy Fawkes told the court Dickason loved her kids, but she was concerned she'd have a 'breakdown'. "Well, her mum has spoken today about what Lauren was like as a parent. She said she was paranoid and over-protective, but there's no doubt in her mind that she loved those children." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A combination of factors are being blamed for increasing rents. Trade Me data for June shows the median weekly rent has increased by $50 since last year. That means the average renter is paying is paying $2600 more. Economist Cameron Bagrie says landlord costs including interest rates and insurance are rising. He says there are other factors contributing- an inflow of migrants, foreign students and workers will be helping drive the market. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Searchers have been scouring areas of interest for missing Christchurch woman Yanfei Bao. The real estate agent was last seen in Wigram last Wednesday, and police are now treating the disappearance as a homicide investigation. Efforts are focused on the Halswell River, Greenpark, Lake Terrace Road and near New Brighton and Palmers Road intersection. NZ Herald senior crime reporter Sam Sherwood says the duration of the investigation and new discoveries coming to light have caused police to launch a homicide investigation. "As the week has progressed, and in particular, the last couple of days, more information has come to light- which is now why they've launched a homicide investigation." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

University course completion rates are at their lowest since 2014. Ministry of Education figures show completion rates dropped from a high of 89 percent in 2020, to 86 percent last year. Universities New Zealand Chief Executive Chris Whelan says it's been a difficult period with Covid-19. "There are student who have spent- in some cases- three years at university with their studies disrupted, and a good number as well that have had their studies disrupted before university at school." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Signs of a divided Labour Caucus, with confidential information leaked to the media. The Post reports remarks made by a first-term MP in a caucus discussion, in the wake of Kiri Allan's arrest and resignation. They allegedly told colleagues they'd been aware of allegations against Allan for years and they themselves had been bullied. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says this is a sign of bigger issues going on within the Labour Party. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has touched down for his first official visit to New Zealand. He's one of several foreign politicians travelling to New Zealand as part of the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2023. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson suspects Blinken plans to use this visit to shore up international relations between the regions following Hipkins' relations with China. "The US has its own agenda, I think all three countries don't necessarily see eye to eye on policies, but also trade and security and human rights, which is something that can often get swept under the rug." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Football Ferns are desperate to keep their World Cup future in their own hands. The surprise 1-0 loss to the Philippines leaves them needing to beat Switzerland in their final Group match on Sunday to progress into the play-off stage. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says the Football Ferns have a slim chance of making it through. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big changes could be on the cards for New Zealand's weather forecasting system. The Government's commissioned a review to begin in September, with a final report due in February. It follows increased bad blood between the two agencies- most recently, MetService alleging NIWA's forecasts may be harmful to public safety when used by DOC. State Owned Enterprises Minister, Duncan Webb says they have different but overlapping roles, and the goal is to get the best from both. "So that not only can we kind of predict and forecast weather, we can get that climate change stuff, which is NIWA's speciality." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Relentless wildfires are forcing more travellers to abandon their Greek holidays and evacuate. Thousands of British tourists are struggling to depart from the region, with the emergency conditions stranding people at airports and makeshift shelters. UK correspondent Enda Brady says thousands more prospective travellers can expect to have their bookings cancelled as the wildfires damage hotels. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, independent journalist Clare de Lore and Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster joined in on a discussion about the issues of the day- and more! David Parker has given up his tax portfolio because he didn't get his way on the wealth tax. How bad does this look? Kiri Allan has confirmed she won't be seeking re-election. Is this the right call? Where does her political career go now? A motorist had guns pointed at him while driving down the motorway over the weekend. Should we be used to this kind of brazen stuff these days, or is it just a one off example we shouldn't be too worried about? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rampant inflation and rising interest rates may create difficult times for dairy farmers in the coming months. Higher farming costs, fast-rising interest rates, and lower prices mean some farmers could struggle to break even- or wind up in debt. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the debt servicing has gone up from $0.50/kgMS to $1.20/kgMS, creating extra struggle for dairy farmers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

House prices have been falling, but the tide may turn soon enough. HSBC predicts house prices will rise again by 5 percent in 2024, with a strong rebound in migration supporting demand. Chief Economist Paul Bloxham says the increased number of migrants will drive prices up again, as this has already happened in Australia. "Now you're seeing really strong inward migration and we think that will start to lift house prices. It's certainly what's happened here in Australia already." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to recent political polls, both major parties are struggling to connect with middle voters. BusinessDesk’s poll of polls shows combined support for National and Labour is at 67 percent, a historic low. BusinessDesk senior correspondent Dileepa Fonseka says the changing demographic of voters is creating a fractured political climate. "That basically makes the centre more meaningless than it has before. Makes it difficult, because once you go with a whole bunch of people without a core centre or shared experience, it's harder for these big, mass-market parties like National and Labour." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Council has explained what's causing the sinkhole on College Hill Road. The metre-by-three-metre hole opened up yesterday afternoon, disrupting traffic between Ponsonby and the CBD. Head of Healthy Waters Andrew Chin says there's a clay stormwater pipe over a hundred years old which has a hole in it. He says the surrounding fill is being washed into that hole. "Once the road seal breaks, the process accelerates and that's where all the fill's going, it's going down into the stormwater pipe. It's created this sinkhole." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research reveals excessive screentime for kids may lead to metabolic syndrome developing later in life. A study has confirmed that those who watch more television between the ages of 5 and 15 were more likely to suffer adverse medical conditions by age 45. Otago University preventive and social medicine researcher Bob Hancox explained the syndrome refers to a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, poor cholesterol and excess weight. "We would recommend- and there's a previous guideline that has been out for a number of years- about two hours is probably a good limit to aim for." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Philippines lead the Football Ferns 1-nil into the second half of their FIFA Women's World Cup contest in Wellington. New Zealand's had 56 per cent of possession compared to the Filipinas' 24 per cent and they've had seven attempts on goal compared to their opponents' two. Former All White David Chote says the Philippines are playing well, but there's still time for the Football Ferns to turn the match around. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don’t buy this debate about Chris Hipkins’ judgement as a leader and whether he made a mistake bringing Kiri Allan back to work from mental health leave too early. That wasn’t the mistake that he made. His mistake was that he didn’t fire her last month when he should've. I'm not convinced mental pressure is the sole explanation for what happened on Sunday night. I'm sure Kiri Allan is under a lot of mental pressure right now, it would be extremely difficult to deal with the break-up of a relationship and the embarrassment of being stood down from your job-however temporarily- at exactly the same time. But her lapses in judgement pre-date any mental health strain she’s currently under The bullying allegations, which she’s now apologised for, date back to last year. The failure to declare the Meng Foon donation and conflict of interest dates back to 2020, and the ill-advised rant at the RNZ party dates back to March. So mental pressure or not, it was obvious after three lapses in judgement that there was a very good chance there would be a fourth one. Because the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. If I were Chris Hipkins, I would have fired her after the third. I'm not saying that with hindsight, I said that after the third lapse on June 29, on this show, that Kiri Allan would stuff up again was predictable. Because it was predicted. I agree that Hipkins can blame Jacinda Ardern for the shambles in Cabinet because she clearly ran a loose ship. But he is now just as much to blame as Ardern, because he has, three times, had a minister in front of him who'd earned a sacking and then not sacked them- and then had another problem and had to sack them. Stuart Nash, Michael Wood, Kiri Allan- you know the story. If you want to blame Hipkins for anything, blame him for not forcing Kiri Allan to leave a month ago, before she crashed her car after drinking on a Sunday night and brought huge embarrassment to herself. Blame him for not seeing a pattern of errors of judgement and blame him for making the wrong call for the Labour Party by letting there be another crisis for them to have to deal with. What happened on Sunday was completely avoidable if Kiri Allan wasn’t in Wellington because she wasn’t a minister anymore. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The opposition parties have been accused of politicising Kiri Allan's mental health crisis, but ACT's David Seymour says that's not the case. MPs across the house have been debating Kiri Allan's resignation from Cabinet and her decision to not stand in the 2023 election. Leader David Seymour says Kiri Allan has been subject to a tragic sequence of personal events- but Parliament still needs to address key issues. "Unfortunately, things don't stop because of one tragic circumstance, we represent 5 million people who are paying the bills and we've got to stand up and reflect on where this Government is going." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Football Ferns match against the Philippines is kicking off at Wellington Regional Stadium. Azaria Howell is at the capital's waterfront FIFA Fan-zone. She says everyone is very excited. "All wearing football shirts, some people with flags, people cheering, people watching on- it is such an incredible vibe and just so much happiness going around Wellington." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lauren Dickason told police she hadn't felt normal for months before killing her children in Timaru. A jury at the High Court in Christchurch has watched her police interview, filmed the day after the deaths. She admits the killings but says it wasn't murder, with a defence of insanity and infanticide. The Herald's Anna Leask says Dickason told police she'd been "thinking about it... for a while." "She told the police she'd been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder, however in the month before she came to New Zealand, she'd come off her meds because she was feeling better." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

25-year-old Rafferty Rolfe has been charged with three counts of murder after a serious highway fatality in Queensland. Rolfe is accused of pursuing a Nissan Navara ute driven by retiree Terry Bishop and carrying passenger Gypsy Satterley. Both were killed in the crash along with Jessica Townley, who was driving the Great Wall. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Rolfe was after Gypsy Satterley after she broke off their relationship, and Terry Bishop was rescuing her. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiri Allan has confirmed she won't be standing for re-election. The East Coast MP signalled she was quitting politics in an emotional post - saying she let down the Labour Party, the Prime Minister and New Zealanders. ZB political editor Jason Walls says he wouldn't bet on Kiri Allan returning to politics, as it's hard to return once you're out. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No changes from the Football Ferns for this evening's World Cup group A clash against the Philippines in Wellington. It'll be the same line-up that beat Norway in the tournament opener. Kick-off is at 5.30. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what we can expect from both teams tonight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A shaken motorist had handguns pointed at him while driving down the Waikato Expressway over the weekend. Noah Hutchinson was driving to Hamilton from Woodhill when a car pulled up next to him and two passengers shouted at him to take the next exit- while pointing weapons. He says the thieves were probably after his motorbike, and he slowed to catch up with the cars behind him to avoid a scene. "I'm assuming they saw the motorbike on the back and they wanted to steal it or my car as well. It set in pretty quick- this is happening, I don't have much time to think about it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two more Greek islands, Evia and Corfu, are evacuating travellers as wildfires sweep the region for the sixth day. Over 19,000 people have already been evacuated from Rhodes, 16,000 by land and 3,000 by sea, with no casualties. The Greek Ministry of Climate Change and Civil Protection has described it as the largest evacuation from a wildfire in the country”. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the breeze is fanning the flames and causing the temperature to soar above 40C. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, current affairs commentator Josie Pagani and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Former Justice Minister has quit Cabinet after being charged with careless use of a vehicle and refusing to accompany an officer last night. Ginny Andersen has picked up her portfolio this afternoon. What does this men for Labour's chances in the upcoming election? Is it well and truly over for them? The New Zealand Bar Association is warning against criticising the judiciary following last Thursday’s shooting in Auckland CBD. The shooter was serving a sentence of five months’ home detention for committing domestic violence. Is this a fair request? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are growing calls for Labour to arrange a snap election following Kiri Allan's arrest and resignation. Kiri Allan is the latest Minister to depart following Stuart Nash and Michael Wood exiting after getting caught up in controversy. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan believes Chris Hipkins needs to put the current Labour Government out of its misery with an early election. "It's still hard to come back, because you don't expect to have a Justice Minister remonstrating with the police. That's the bit that raises the questions." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousands of causal workers in Australia could be on the path to permanent employment thanks to new proposed changes. Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke says the proposal would close a loophole allowing companies to treat casuals like permanent employees without giving them benefits of secure employment. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says some workers will still want the flexibility of casual employment. "They get no sick leave, no annual leave, they get no leave. But they're okay with that, because they pick and choose when they want to work or they pick and choose and have an arrangement." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Twitter's famous blue bird logo is set to fly away to be replaced with a new symbol. Owner Elon Musk confirmed he plans to change the platform's logo to a letter X, marking the latest significant rebrand for the social media company. Social media commentator Vaughn Davis says this change is terrible from a branding perspective, but it could be the start of an expanded future for the platform. "I think that's the plan for Elon Musk and X. To become that app that, like WeChat, does absolutely everything for everyone. That's the plan." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says he's been texting back and forth with Kiri Allan over the past day. Allan quit Cabinet this morning - after being charged with careless use of a vehicle and refusing to accompany an officer last night. The MP for East Coast has been dealing with mental health challenges in recent months. Minister Grant Robertson says Kiri has publicly recognised the need to be held accountable for this. "But I look at it from a human level. You know, she's a person I worked with for a long time, she's somebody I know pretty well and I'm devastated for her and just want to be there to support her." Ginny Anderson is picking up Allan's Justice portfolio, Kieran McAnulty gets Regional Development and Barbara Edmonds becomes Associate Minister of Finance. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.