Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

An internal investigation has been launched by Spain's football federation after Luis Rubiales activated their sexual violence protocol. The federation president was suspended by FIFA after kissing forward Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain's Women's World Cup win. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Luis Rubiales' actions have inspired protests and backlash- and the federation is taking this investigation quite seriously. 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! National's Chris Luxon still won't say whether or not he'll collaborate with NZ First and Winston Peters- and claimed he wasn't thinking about the party at all in an earlier interview. Why hasn't Luxon completely ruled the party out yet? Chris Hipkins raised a few eyebrows after going after National, ACT and NZ First in an earlier speech, leading to other parties accusing him of trying to stoke fear and divide voters. Is this a last-ditch attempt to get ahead following Labour's ongoing descent in the polls? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert is warning about the dangers of a Trump comeback following his recent arrest. The former president was lined up for a mugshot in Georgia after he surrendered on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn election results. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says strategic shifts implemented during his administration influence current policy- and New Zealand needs to be alert to geopolitical changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research has found rising corporate profits have contributed to over half of current domestic inflation. This information conflicts with earlier reports that increased wages and supply costs were the bigger driving forces behind inflation. Council of Trade Unions economist Craig Renney says research shows that corporate profits have been boosting inflation all over the world- not just New Zealand. "That's because companies can change prices far more quickly than workers can change their wage arrangements." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says spending cuts announced today are responsible savings, as they balance delivering services New Zealanders need. Finance Minister Grant Robertson has unveiled a push to slash contractors, trim back programmes and limit future budget allowances. He forecasts they'll save almost $4 billion dollars over the next four years. Robertson says Government spending has gone up significantly over the last six years because of Covid-19. "We've had to deal with a massive global economic shock, and we've had to protect and support New Zealanders through that. I think that spending was needed, I think most political parties wanted us to spend that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new social media trend is helping consumers justify any purchase- no matter how big or impulsive. #GirlMaths originated on ZM's Fletch, Vaughan and Hayley, when the trio justified the purchase of an expensive dress as 'basically free' if it got worn at least four times. RMIT University researcher Janneke Blijlevens has expressed concern about this phenomenon, and claims the trend has 'dangerous' aspects. "What we know from other opportunities out there where we can use #GirlMaths - for example, buy now, pay later - it actually does get people into trouble. They're not thinking about the consequences." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's police spokesperson says the Government's approach to crime is putting the public at risk. New information reveals nearly 50 people are on EM bail for 'homicide and related offences', alongside a further 70 accused of kidnapping and abduction. This comes as a leaked report shows people are taking advantage of the limitations of ankle bracelets and wrapping them with tinfoil to re-offend. Mark Mitchell says Labour's goal of reducing prison populations and repealing of the 'three strikes law' has lead to an increase of criminals on EM bail. "What you've had now is a follow-on of a 370 percent increase of people on electronic bail, a 140 percent increase of police opposition to bail being ignored, a 33 percent increase in violent crime, a 41 percent increase in victimisation- and a 500 percent increase in ram raids and aggravated robberies." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for collectors to own a precious piece of New Zealand art. Bill Hammond's Melting Moments I goes under the hammer tonight for the first time- and it's expected to get about $2.5 million. It was painted during Hammond's three-year green and gold period. Webb's Director of Art Charles Ninow says a lot of interest is expected tonight. "These works are really sought after- there are hardly any of them, even though they are so iconic. Most people haven't even seen one in the flesh before, I've only seen a handful. It's a very, very exciting painting." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has told public service organisations to cut spending. Finance Minister Grant Robertson has announced a push to slash spending on contractors and consultants, trim programmes and limit future budget allowances. Robertson says it'll save almost $4 billion over the next four years. New Zealand Initiative executive director Oliver Hartwich says the Government's trying to make the books look a bit better before their pre-election fiscal and economic update. "It's too little and too late, because just shaving 1 or 2 percent off spending is nothing in the grand scheme of things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson's unveiled a push to slash contractors, trim back programmes and limit future budget allowances. Almost $4 billion is forecast in savings over the next four years, with a keen eye on limiting contractors and tacking back under-spends. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this doesn't paint a good picture of the state of the Government's books. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Multiple investigations are currently underway following yesterday's deadly military aircraft crash in Darwin. Three US marines were killed and another five were hospitalised after the MV-22B Osprey crashed on the Tiwi Islands during a military exercise. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says this vehicle has been involved in three crashes over the last 18 months- and engineering failure may be a common factor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do the All Blacks have enough time to get their act together ahead of the Rugby World Cup? New Zealand have been given a wake-up call a fortnight out from the major tournament, suffering a record test defeat by the Springboks at Twickenham. Sportstalk host Jason Pine says this is a 'brutal' reality check ahead of the Rugby World Cup. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 73-year-old Hawke's Bay chauffeur has revealed he flew to the Philippines for hip surgery, rather than sit on New Zealand's waiting list. Rex Jones was referred in March for a specialist appointment in six months to go on a surgery waitlist. But he found he could fly overseas, have the procedure, and be fully recovered before the date of his first appointment here. Jones stayed with family, and estimates it cost about $20,000, excluding accommodation. "I wouldn't hesitate to come again if I've got to do the other one." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight is the Warriors’ final regular season home game, facing the Dragons at Mt Smart Stadium. A win would guarantee a top four finish and another home game in the playoffs. Warriors CEO Cameron George said that while it won’t be easy, they’ve prepared well. He said that there’s a really positive mind-set around the organisation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After more than two year's absence Donald Trump has returned with a vengeance to X, formerly known as Twitter. He's made U.S history becoming the first former president to have a mug shot taken, and he's posted it onto his page. After 3 hours the post had been seen more than 40 million times. Social Media Commentator Vaughn Davis told Heather du Plessis Allan that there's several likely reasons he's made a comeback, including wanting to get public opinion going his way. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT leader David Seymour maintains fees-free tertiary education is on the scrap heap if his party gets sway after October's election. It comes after National this week reserved its position on the policy, saying it won't abolish the promise despite campaigning for that in 2020. Seymour says this is about taking a principled position. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's be brutal about what we all suspect is going on with Air NZ. And that is that Air NZ managed to turn its business around yesterday and post a profit for the first time in three years. By milking kiwis. Not the rest of the world, just us. We're all aware by now that they’ve jacked up the price on their domestic routes. It might surprise you though to know that they’re pretty competitive on some the international routes where there’s lots of competition. For example, try flying next week, let’s say Auckland to Wellington. Their cheapest flights on Thursday are double what Jetstar is charging. But try booking an international flight on that day, direct flight to Singapore. Air NZ is the cheapest ticket. Auckland Uni economics professor Robert MacCuloch’s on this. He wanted to know how much of their billion dollar turn around yesterday was off the back off domestic routes compared to international routes. He couldn’t find it anywhere in the end of year accounts. For Qantas he found it pretty easily in last year’s annual report, page 19, but Air NZ’s was nowhere to be found. Judging by the texts yesterday, lots of people are clearly getting grumpy at Air NZ for this, and I don’t blame you. Especially if you live in a region where Air NZ is the only option. But the number of people I've spoken to who complain about Air NZ and don’t fly anything else is extraordinary. Someone today was complaining about $1400 for two adults to Nelson this past summer, I said why not fly Jetstar to Wellington then Sounds Air to Nelson? Nah can’t be bothered... too inconvenient. In that case, you can’t complain. If you’re still flying them and you don’t like it, don’t fly them anymore. Fly someone else or drive. Air NZ will be pushing it with us as far as they can to make as much money as they can, and you can’t blame them. They’re a business answerable to their shareholders. We might be grumpy but they clearly haven’t pushed it too far yet because we’re still flying. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the former Mainzeal directors are liable to pay $39.8million plus interest and costs as compensation after the collapse of the company a decade ago. The directors’ cross-appeal was dismissed as the Supreme Court found that they were aware of the company’s precarious position. Former Prime Minister Jenny Shipley was one of Mainzeal’s directors and has been ordered to pay up to $6.6million. DLA Piper Litigation and Regulatory Partner Alicia Murray told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this brings directors’ duties into focus. She said that it shows what they should do if they company is looking unstable. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's turning his latest personal loss into a money making venture. He became the first US President to have a mug shot taken earlier today. Trump handed himself into Georgia's Fulton County Jail, facing charges alleging that he headed a scheme to overturn the 2020 election results. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that Trump's begun selling t-shirts with the image —captioned 'no surrender'— on his website. Trump continues to maintain his innocence. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police are patrolling a Hibiscus Coast high school three times a day in response to antisocial student behaviour. Whangaparāoa College Principal Steve McCracken says they put their hands up when the police offered. It was because of things like fights between students at school and bus stops. McCracken told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he's noticed a difference since the police came in. He says while he has no data on it, the school feels much more settled. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The long-standing tradition of popping over to an Irish pub for an authentic pint of Guinness may be coming to an end. New data shows 108 pubs closed in 2022, with an average of 152 pubs closing annually since 2019. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the combination of Covid-19 and the ongoing cost of living crisis has encouraged many Irish locals to drink at home instead. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was one of ten people killed in a plane crash north of Moscow, on a private plane enroute to Saint Petersburg. Was this news expected? Is this good news for Putin? National MP National MP Tim van de Molen has been stripped of his portfolios and has had to apologise for threatening a Labour MP. Can National bounce back from this ahead of the election? National has opted to keep Labour's fees-free policy for tertiary education- despite the policy copping backlash. Is this just a last bid for votes? Air New Zealand's annual after-tax profit of $412 million is being called 'a spectacular turnaround'. Is this good news? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The food and fibre sector export revenue has reached new heights and earned $57.4 billion in the year to June 30. This has brought an extra $1.2 billion into the economy, surpassing Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor's expectations. The Country's Jamie Mackay says this news comes with a caveat, as the dairy and sheep sectors are likely to take a hit. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much financial pain is too much to inflict on young families struggling to pay off their first homes? History indicates it's a rite of passage- baby boomers endured mortgage rate spikes of 20 percent and Generation X suffered under rates that soared above 10 percent. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann agrees it's a generational rite of passage, but the weight of the burden has grown for young people. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qantas has posted an underlying profit of nearly $2.5 billion- their first since Covid-19. The flying kangaroo has bounced back from a $1.9 billion loss last financial year, driven by a 132 percent increase in passengers. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Qantas has been trying to distract their customer base with sales and extra points ahead of potential outrage.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland International Airport has managed to bounce back following the return of international travel. A sharp increase in both domestic and international passengers enabled the company to report their first profit since the pandemic. CEO Carrie Hurihanganui says the airport still requires upgrades, and they're confident the forecast growth will support these developments. "After 10 years of consultation, and 21 concept designs benchmarking worldwide, we are confident in regards to the forecast growth- which airlines had an input into." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sky TV has reported results in line with expectations and seeks to double their dividend payout to 30 cents in the next three years. Full-year profit fell 18 per cent to $51 million - but when adjusted for one-offs including restructuring costs, rose 15 per cent to $56.7m. However, the company is struggling to get consumers to switch to their new Sky Box, as only 7 percent of users have traded in their decoders so far. Sky TV CEO Sophie Moloney says a new update to be released next week will fix remaining issues with closed captions and improve navigation. "I'm excited that we've got to that point. I'm sorry, as I said, to those customers who experienced some issues- and I'm excited about looking forward." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An uncertain future looms for the Wagner Group after the leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's death. The 62-year-old was one of ten people killed in a plane crash north of Moscow, on a private plane en route to Saint Petersburg. Russian authorities say its commander and co-founder Dmitry Utkin was also among the casualties. Australian National University defence expert Matthew Sussex it leaves a big void for Russia to fill in its African allies. "Russia's gone on a kind of spree of constructing new private military companies, and it may well be that one of the existing ones will now step into the breach that Wagner's left." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See what National’s doing with the fees-free policy? This is exactly what I was warning you about a couple of days ago. National chickened out and it has now decided it’s going to keep Labour’s expensive policy of paying for university for students who were probably going to go anyway. This is a massive about-face from National, because they’ve spent six years bashing it and promising to cut it. For good reason- it’s an enormous and unnecessary waste of money when we are about to borrow tens more billions of dollars and can’t afford to waste money. It’s hard to find an exact price, but this could be costing us somewhere around $320 million a year to pay for the university study of kids who were probably going to go anyway. It doesn’t even do what it was supposed to do, which is lift the number of poor kids going to uni. Since it was introduced, fewer poor kids are going and more rich kids are going. And the only thing that’s gone up is the dropout rate, which is now the highest it’s been since 2014. This is such a massive disappointment to me, because it shows the wasteful spending is not going to end after the October election. I know this is hard for some National supporters to hear, but the fact is- National is not going to dramatically change the wastage or even the wokiness in Government that we’ve seen under Labour. We’ve had them supporting Labour’s dumb gender pay reporting policy just a few days ago, and now we’ve got them retaining an incredibly wasteful idea that they had told us they would ditch. Obviously nothing can be as bad as it is right now, so a centre-right Government will definitely be an improvement, it would have to be. But if you’re hanging out for a major reset of the country’s fortunes after October, I think you might need to set your expectations just a little lower. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's mayor says some flooded homeowners buyback could be less than they expect. An Auckland flood recovery package worth more than $2 billion dollars has been agreed to in principle by Council and the Crown. It includes $774 million for buying out homes where there's risk to life and no possible mitigation. Wayne Brown says with different houses, there's bound to be variety in payouts. "Some people who have chosen to be in places which are quite dangerous themselves were already taking some risks- some people weren't." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's chief executive warns that their fares are unlikely to go back to pre-pandemic levels. The company today reported a full-year underlying profit of $585 million on operating revenue of $6.3 billion, up 9 per cent on pre-Covid levels. This result is a turnaround on pre-tax losses of $725m last year. CEO Greg Foran says customers should expect prices to come down as they add more seats, but they'll never match 2019's offerings. "There are so many dynamics at play, but if I look ahead and say- what's going to happen to, say, North America over Christmas? We've got about 40 percent more capacity in there, we're back flying to what we were- I think we'll see prices ease." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch rapists Roberto and Danny Jaz have been sentenced to lengthy jail terms. Danny has 16 and a half years, and Roberto, 17 years- the pair must serve at least half before parole is possible. Roberto Jaz told a a pre-sentence report writer he did nothing wrong. Herald reporter Anna Leask says he claims the abuse was consensual- and he doesn't accept the Judge's verdict. "Which is unfathomable, when you look at the evidence and the outcome. Danny Jaz has refused to engage. It's his right, but he's refused to engage with report writers, so we don't actually know what he's thinking." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National MP Tim Van der Molen has been censured following allegations of violence. The Privileges Committee has found he engaged in threatening and physically intimidating behaviour against Labour MP Shanan Halbert in a stand-off at the Transport Select Committee. National leader Chris Luxon has stripped him of his portfolios. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says he's seen worse behaviour from MPs over the years, which shows standards have changed. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks are fielding as close to a full strength side as possible for Saturday morning's last pre-World Cup test against South Africa in London. Outside of starting hooker Dane Coles and Luke Jacobson featuring at blindside for the injured Shannon Frizell, the rest of the run-on side is close to what might meet France in the opening match of the tournament. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave weighs in on what we can expect from this match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man's running for Parliament as an independent - who last year was found not guilty by reason of self defence, after instructing his son to cut a finger off a teen home invader. Farmer William Bruce Burr appeared in a Hamilton High court trial last year. He's standing in the Taranaki-King Country electorate. He says he expects to win votes on a platform of fixing law and order. "There's just got to be a change, because I've got grandkids- our community, our country is just unbelievable." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 40-year old woman in the UK has undergone the region's first successful womb transplant. The woman donated her uterus to her younger sister, who plans to undergo IVF later this year. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the procedure comes with several risks, but hundreds of women have contacted Oxford Transplant Centre about receiving similar procedures. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Business Mentors NZ CEO Sarah Trotman joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! There's growing calls for David Seymour to apologise following his controversial comments about sending Guy Fawkes into the Ministry of Pacific Peoples after he seemingly doubled down. Should he apologise, or does ACT have bigger issues to worry about? National MP Michael Woodhouse says he lost out on a good list placing due to diversity. Was National right to prioritise an equal spread of men and women? How important is diversity for political parties? The Taxpayers Union has called for an immediate end to parties for bureaucrats after the Department for Internal Affairs spent $16,000 on a welcome party- does this need to be reigned in? The Australian Government is considering banning bosses from contacting their employees outside of working hours- unless they’re getting paid for it. Could this work? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retail spending is continuing to decline as people opt to spend less money, according to new Stats NZ data. The total volume of retail sales fell 1 percent in the June quarter compared to the March quarter in the third consecutive quarterly decline, following on from March and December. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says inflation and interest rates are finally hitting consumers, forcing households to tighten their belts as more people join the economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ANZ has followed in ASB's footsteps in lifting mortgage and term deposit rates. Most of the increases target mortgages with two or more years, raising most of those rates by 20 basis points. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says ANZ is blaming rising wholesale interest rates and inflation for these hikes- but it's tough to say if this is a justification. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ANZ has followed in ASB's footsteps in lifting mortgage and term deposit rates. Most of the increases target mortgages with two or more years, raising most of those rates by 20 basis points. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says ANZ is blaming rising wholesale interest rates and inflation for these hikes- but it's tough to say if this is a justification. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several Kiwi businesses are feeling the impacts of a tougher economic climate as they report their earnings. Significant cost inflation and rising interest rates have impacted demand, and New Zealand's biggest companies aren't immune to the associated cost challenges. Milford Asset Management portfolio manager Mark Riggall says it's gotten harder for businesses to offset input prices with consumer demand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's highlighting controversial comments by ACT Party candidates. Rangitata candidate Elaine Naidu Franz has stood down after revelations she'd likened Covid vaccines to Nazi concentration camps. In the House, Seymour asked Chris Hipkins if his promise of a rigorous campaign means mis-characterising remarks by other parties- and Hipkins fired back. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the accusation that ACT's being propped up by anti-vaxxers will be the next controversy sticking to the Party. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has added a Cyclone Gabrielle provision into their controversial bright-line taxation rules. It was revealed yesterday some cyclone-affected homes would be caught up by the bright-line test, which charges a capital gains tax on properties sold within 10 years of being purchased. Tax adviser Bruce Bernacchi says this provision only covers those who accepted a buyout from central Government or regional authorities. "It still doesn't address the issue, for example, of people who can't live in their house because their house has been cyclone-damaged and they're out of it for 12 months while it gets repaired." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Government is considering a rule change that would see employers banned from contacting employees outside their working hours. Under the proposed amendment to fair work laws, employees would have the legal right to ignore calls, texts and emails from their bosses off the clock- unless they're being compensated. Australian careers expert Sue Ellson says she approves of the concept, but it comes with 'challenging' practical applications. "Clearly, there's a lot of people who feel they are always on, and that's been exacerbated by the idea of working from home. For a lot of people, the lines between work and home have become blurred." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former National staffer says diversity is an aspect of the Party's list ranking selections.Dunedin-based List MP Michael Woodhouse said 'diversity won' - and told the Otago Daily Times he lost a contest between diversity and experience. But he denies the paper's reports he also said being male cost him his spot. Former staffer Ben Thomas says there are several ways to get into caucus, and Woodhouse fit none. "The first one is to be part of his Cabinet considerations, the second one is to help with the diversity, and the third way is to win an electorate seat." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pressure on ACT over past anti-vaccine comments posted by candidates. Elaine Naidu Franz has resigned after creating a post comparing vaccine mandates to Nazi concentration camps. Another candidate, Darren Gilchrist, has apologised for suggesting drownings were connected to the vaccine. A third candidate called Covid-19 a ScamDemic. ACT Leader David Seymour says the Nazi comment is unacceptable- and says he just disagrees with the others. "If we're going to have purity tests and beat people down and have a 'right way' of thinking, that won't work. Because a whole lot of people, if they don't have the fashionable view, will find democracy's closed off to them." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tomorrow is D-Day for scientists releasing treated nuclear wastewater from the Fukushima plant into the Pacific Ocean. It'll be done over the course of 30 years. A tsunami and earthquake in 2011 caused the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. It's caused one cancer death, but long-term studies are needed to reveal other radiation related fatalities. Curtin University Physics Professor Nigel Marks says dumping the water mightn't be politically popular - but it's scientifically sound. "They've looked at in in great detail, and there's no question that it's an acceptable thing to do. The real problem is the social and political conception." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The race is on to pick a future Republican presidential candidate- but front-runner Donald Trump is set to skip a key debate. Trump won't join the eight hopefuls gathered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin tomorrow, and he explained on social media that the public 'already knew' what he could offer. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Trump is set to appear on Tucker Carlson's online show that night- which may steal attention away from the upcoming debate. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns not enough is being done to meet demands of an aging population. A report from commercial real estate company JLL says an extra 22,000 retirement village units are needed by 2033, a 33 percent annual increase.It says demand's on track to be met, in terms of construction and planning. The Aged Care Association's Katherine Rich says she's worried there won't be enough beds. "We'd need another 13 and a half thousand by the end of this decade, and the Government has no plan. The problem is, they keep issuing loss-making contracts, so providers are closing their doors and not building enough." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It pains me to say this, it really does, but unfortunately for Michael Woodhouse- diversity does matter in politics, as much as I hate that it does. I think Michael Woodhouse has been treated poorly. There are other white men who work less hard than him and should’ve been bumped down the National Party list instead. But he’s been punished because he’s not in right friendship group in National, and he’s a bloke. That’s really what it comes down to. Now, the Nats will try to avoid admitting that he’s been punted down the list for being a bloke, because they know that heaps of their voters don’t like this kind of diversity nonsense. But that’s absolutely part of what’s happened. Luxon’s been banging on about the need for diversity since before the Tauranga by-election, where the spot to be National’s candidate was fought over by four white men in suits. They got so much grief for that- so Luxon ramped up the calls. Now, of the top 30 on the National list- 15 are women, just like Labour. Six sitting male MPs have been dumped into insultingly low list positions in the 50s- Joseph Mooney, Scott Simpson, Stuart Smith, Tim van de Molen and a couple more who deserve to be further up. And way higher up the list at 20, 21, 22, 23 and 27, there are five women you’ve probably never heard of because they aren’t in Parliament. That’s very high on the list for newbies. Now, personally I hate this stuff. Because I would hate anyone to think that I got any breaks because I was a woman. But this is how it works in politics. And parties have to do this, they have to play the diversity game. And they have to play, because the media play. The media are obsessed with whether political parties or corporates or whoever have enough women or Maori or people of colour or members of the rainbow community. And if that is what the media care about, then that is what the media will writes stories and headlines about. And therefore, it becomes an easy way for opponents to attack a party. Just like National got attacked and got negative stories and negative headlines for having too many white men last year. And so the political parties, if they want to give themselves the greatest chance of winning an election, have got to neutralise any weak spots that can create negative headlines. So they have to play the diversity game. Look at the current parties in Parliament- every single one of them have a man, a woman and someone Maori in the top four. This is the way it is, and this is the way it will be until we stop being fixated on gender and race. Until then, white men will be bumped down, like Michael Woodhouse. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.