Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Tonight on the Huddle, NewstalkZB Sports reporter Nathan Limm and Oceania Football Confederation media manager Matt Brown join Heather duPlessis-Allan to discuss the latest sports news.  Should NZ keep letting top rugby players run away overseas? Or is it making it harder to track who will come home to play for the All Blacks. Will letting them go overseas devalue Super Rugby here?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Oranga Tamariki Youth Justice senior leader's keen to see youth offender boot camps continue beyond the pilot.  The 12-month military-style camp trial with 10 of New Zealand's most serious young offenders has wrapped.  Eight completed the programme, seven re-offended requiring them to return to camp, and one passed away in a road accident.  Oranga Tamariki Deputy CEO Ian Chapman says this was the last stop shop before a life in corrections.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel's expanding its military occupation of Gaza - forcing more than a million Palestinians out of Gaza City.  Israel's security cabinet's approved Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan - in a nine hour meeting today. It involves moving Palestinians out of the main population centres - and into compounds in southern Gaza.  Israeli journalist Haggai Matar told Heather du-Plessis Allan that Israel already controls over 85 percent of Gaza - and forbids Palestinians from going into it.   He says it's basically pushing Palestinians into smaller areas of land - mostly areas that have been uninhabited and are very difficult to sustain life on.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US President has said he would be happy to have a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.  The focus of this meeting will likely be around peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.  US Correspondent Jonathan Kearsley told Heather duPlessis-Allan that Donald Trump wants to be the middleman to this peace deal.   ‘He would want to make it look like he is the peacemaker.’  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So I don't know what's worse, the fact that Willow Jean Prime is a lazy, disinterested waste of space in Labour's team, or the fact that Labour's been busted almost lying about this. So let me get you across what happened, and you can decide for yourself.  In March, Willow Jean Prime took over the Labour Party education portfolio from Jan Tonetti, and her National Party counterpart, Erika Stanford, sent her a text to say congrats and I need to get you up to speed with the NCEA change process. It would be good if we could meet first and I can run you through where we're at. There is a policy advisory group of principals who are working on the details. You can have access to them as well as my officials and also NZQA.  Willow Jean does not bother to reply.  Two months later in May, Erica's office sends an email saying, basically, haven't heard from Willow Jean, would like to ensure cross-party engagement can continue. Can we set up a meeting?  Willow Jean doesn't bother to reply.  A month later in mid-Junne, Erica personally writes again, Willow Jean, yeah, you know, doesn't bother to reply. Next month, July, Erica then goes up a level and writes to Chippy. He doesn't reply either, but then the next day Willow Jean finally does reply, and she says she declines your invitation.  Fast forward now to the 25th of July and suddenly Willow Jean writes to Erica wanting to meet because she's read in the Herald that the NCEA changes are coming soon. Erica writes back, basically says to her, mate, you missed your chance, we have already made the decisions.  Chippy, meanwhile, complains publicly that the government, AKA Erika Stanford, hasn't been consulting with him and Willow Jean on the NCEA changes.  So, tell me now, having heard that, what do you think is worse? That Willow Jean can't be bothered doing her job properly, or that Chippy has an amazing ability to lie with a smile?  Now, here are the key learnings from this incident.  Willow Jean is not a serious, hardworking, or clever person, and it is not ready to be a minister. Chris Hipkins is not as honest as his lovely smiling face would make you think. Labour is thin on the ground for talent if Willow Jean Prime is #8 in their party, and don't mess with Erica because she will pull a beautiful hit job on you, which is exactly what's happened here.  But also, Labour are just rude and unprofessional. It doesn't kill you to reply to a message. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has informed his allies that he aims to meet with Vladimir Putin as soon as next week, with an additional three-way meeting including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the cards. When asked later if the leaders would attend the summit, Trump told reporters there was a 'very good prospect that they would'. UK correspondent Enda Brady explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2025 has been regarded as a challenging year for economic forecasting, with experts stumped about what decisions to make. Traditional indicators have been regarded as contradictory, but one expert's developed a workaround. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian researchers have developed a vaccine to protect livestock during an outbreak of foot and mouth disease. The five-year research project was a partnership between Meat & Livestock Australia, Tiba Biotech and the NSW Government - and cost $20 million to develop. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rare thing to be able to say- but Wellington City Council has just made a sensible decision and voted against erecting a fence along the entire length of Kumutoto and Queen's Wharf. Now, if you know the part of Wellington that I'm talking about here, it's the area seaside of the TSB Bank Arena and Fergs and Shed 5 and Foxglove and so on.  That whole area at the moment has beautiful concrete walkways that have been laid, lovely seating and lighting and so on.  And then there's a little barrier either side. If there's sea on the other side, there's a little barrier that comes up to a concrete barrier, maybe mid-shin for you. Now, council officials planned to erect a fence instead - a full-length fence either side of every walkway, up to about 1.2 meters or so, lining almost the entire walkway, 3.5 km of it, at the cost of maybe as much as $30 million. And they wanted the council - probably because they realized how this is going to go down with people - to rush through voting on it without talking to the public about it first. For once, Wellington City Council has actually done the right thing and pumped the brakes here. I think, to be fair to the officials, that this is coming from a good place and that this is the recommendation in a coroner's report. A coroner has had a look at somebody who's fallen into the water, died in the drink, and said: you should put a fence up. Because there have been a few examples lately, especially young men who've got on the raz and then fallen into the water, and that has been the end of them. But - this is gonna sound harsh - I don't think that you fence off an entire walkway because some young people sometimes have a drink and then fall in. I don't want, just as much as you - I don't want people to die needlessly in accidents. But there is a balance to be struck here between personal responsibility and safety measures that we put up to stop stuff happening. I think you go for an intermediate thing here. You stick up some lights, you make sure people can see where they're going in the dark, but you do not fence off the entire thing because that is overkill. It is not normal for us to have fences between ourselves and the sea. Take Auckland, where I live at the moment.  Go for a walk under Auckland's Harbour Bridge, there are huge stretches exactly like this. No fence whatsoever. You're just walking there and there's the sea. It's a fall down, you just have to look after yourself and be careful.  Walk on piers anywhere in this country, they often do not have fences. You've just got to watch where you're going. If you chuck up a fence, you stop people doing what they're supposed to do near the sea, which is sitting there looking at it, enjoying nature, or fishing off the walkway into the sea. Think about what the Wellington officials were trying to do here - they were literally fencing off the sea. When you fence off the sea, do you not think that you are going just a little bit too far? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 7 August 2025, Ballance, one of the biggest names in agriculture business, might have to put its operations on hold for four months because gas is getting too expensive. CEO Kelvin Wickham talks to Heather. Did Auckland Council get your rates bill wrong? Heather tells you how you can find out. Nurses Organisation President Anne Daniels is worried about the impact on EDs when St John volunteers stop their work in hospitals. Wellington Councillor Tim Brown explains why he doesn't want a fence lining the waterfront - despite a number of deaths. Plus, the Huddle debates just how damning Treasury's report on Labour's Covid spending is. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and former Auckland mayor Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Wellington Council has voted down a proposal to build a fence around its waterfront. Do we think this was the right move? High gas prices are set to bring down another company - this time it's fertiliser manufacturer Ballance. How many more of these incidents can our economy take? What can we do to stop this? It's been revealed the Government spent too much during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to new reports. What do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fuel taxes are set to be replaced by road user charges for all vehicles - and it's left many wondering how these changes will be implemented. Eroad has welcomed this development, and their share price has risen in the hours since Transport Minister Chris Bishop made this announcement. Eroad co-CEO Mark Heine says the company's been making use of electronic road user charges (eRUC) for years and says the technology's there to get this going. "We're still working through with the Government for the pricing for that, but our target is to get it as cheap as possible." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One school principal is not phased by mistakes being found in a Ministry maths resource book.  18 errors have been found and fixed - including incorrect sums and a Te Reo Māori typo. Auckland Primary Principals' Association President Lucy Naylor says it's not ideal, but the resources only make up about five percent of what's taught. She points out they didn't cost schools. "Given the maths resources have been given free to schools by the Government, it kind of outweighs the errors." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington councillors have voted against advice to fence parts of the waterfront. They were considering a proposal to immediately spend $7 million installing fences on the Kumutoto and Queens Wharf precincts - without community consultation. Councillor Tim Brown says he feels they've spent $8 million dollars improving lighting and other initiatives around the waterfront. He says he feels they've met their safety responsibly. "The best thing for us to do in terms of common sense approach was to sit back and have a look at the effect of what we've already done - before we decided we needed to do something additional." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's fears St John's cutting of community programmes will put more pressure on health workers. The organisation's new community health direction will see the Therapy Pets and Hospital Volunteers and Community Carers programmes wrap up by next June. NZNO President Anne Daniels says logic suggests these cuts have been made due to declining funding. "Even though these volunteers don't get paid, there is an infrastructure cost. And like everybody these days, funding is less than it should be - and I suspect that's the same for St John. But I can't say, hand on heart, that I know that for a fact." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A temporary shutdown may be on the cards for fertiliser manufacturer Ballance as it struggles to secure affordable gas. The farmer and grower co-op says it may close its Kapuni plant for up to four months as a contingency. The company manufactures about a third of New Zealand’s urea fertiliser each year. Chief executive Kelvin Wickham says they aren't able to secure gas on a long-term basis.  "We are hunting for short-term gas - and if we can find some short-term gas, we'll use that. But if we can't, then we'll be forced into a short-term shutdown." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's putting product labelling regulations under the microscope in another attack on red tape. The Ministry for Regulation's reviewing labelling standards, and expects to be finished by the end of the year. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Minister for Regulation David Seymour has pointed out the compliance standards companies are subject to - and he's looking to make some changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Government is facing renewed calls to increase the GST, but hand taxpayers a hefty rebate set to shield low-income earners. The new proposal, put forward by teal independent MP Kate Chaney and economist Richard Holden, would raise the GST from 10 percent to 15 percent. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this change would leave Australia's lowest earners better off than under the current system. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richie Mo'unga will return to New Zealand Rugby next year, via the NPC with Canterbury. The 56-test All Black has signed an 18-month contract to return to New Zealand Rugby in July next year - after three seasons playing in Japan. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some Auckland ratepayers have been getting nasty surprises when opening their newest bills for the year. The Herald has identified a number of properties who've been overcharged, including a $3.9 million multi-unit property with an incorrect $444,766 - 11.4 percent - rates bill. Auckland Council Group chief financial officer Ross Tucker says they process the rates bills for a huge volume of properties in Auckland. "The best information we've got is - we think it's quite isolated...the four properties where there's been some issues are not just a single property, single house, it's ones where there's multi-units. That's one rates bill that covers multiple units." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taxes must rise in the coming months in order to reach financial targets, according to one UK-based economic think tank. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research recommends 'a moderate but sustained increase in taxes' to cover a £41.2 billion gap. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Building Nations conference kicked off today, with the nation's major political parties seemingly aligned on future infrastructure. National's Chris Bishop and Labour's Kieran McAnulty spoke this afternoon, and they appeared to be united about future partnerships. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Government debt levels are rising globally - with many at risk of permanent structural deficits if they can't bring down interest bills each year. Cutting spending and increasing taxes is an unpopular concept among voters, so experts are wondering what the next steps could be. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rugby Australia has confirmed the rule restricting how many overseas based players Wallabies coaches can pick has been scrapped. Rugby Australia has since claimed the rule hasn't been enforced for some time. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Conor English from Silvereye communications joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The latest report into our grocery sector found the duopoly continues to be highly lucrative, and Kiwis are paying the 5th highest prices in the OECD. Are we sick of all the talk about this? Can we expect the Government to do something?  The Government is set to scrap the fuel tax and replace it with road user charges for everyone. Will this change really make it fairer for all drivers? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 6 August 2025, Transport Minister Chris Bishop explains why he's replacing fuel taxes with road user charges for everyone - and how long it's going to take to actually happen. Unemployment has risen to 5.2% - the highest rate since 2020. So how much worse is it going to get? The Grocery Commissioner Pierre Van Heerden tells Heather supermarket competition is still a big problem looking for a big answer. Foodstuffs boss Chris Quin explains why New World is yet again running out on its most sought after promotional product. Plus, the Huddle on the surprising number of shots that police fired last year. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the Government just announced what they’re calling the biggest change to road funding in 50 years. Once these changes kick in, petrol taxes are out and RUCs - road user charges - are in, for everyone. Not just truckies, not just EV drivers, not just diesel users, every single one of us. This is not really a surprise, the Government flagged this two years ago. But now the work is starting and Cabinet has agreed to start changing the law on it. And generally, I think this is a good idea. It’s going to make it more transparent, as most of us have no idea how much we’re paying to use the road because it’s hidden in the petrol cost. But once it’s stripped out, it’s going to smack us in the face every month - or however often - we pay that bill. And it’s actually a lot, tax makes up almost half the cost of petrol. It’s also going to, if designed properly, change our behaviour for the better. Heavier cars should end up being charged more - as they should - because they do more damage to the roads. For example, electric vehicles, which are enormously heavy, will be pot-holing the road more than a lighter Suzuki Swift. That should, if we respond rationally to pricing, move us towards lighter vehicles and away from the trend of 'bigger is better' - which is better for road maintenance.  But everything hangs off on enforcement. Because this is ripe for gaming.  The same people who don't get a WOF and don't get a rego now won't get their RUCs. So if you’re going from a simple system where it gets taken at the pump to a more complex 'count the Ks and file the paperworks system',  how will you be sure everyone does it? In an announcement light on detail - that’s the question I have. But in theory, it's a good idea. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New World shoppers have been left disappointed by the supermarket's latest giveaway, as key items have been running out weeks into the promotion. The braiser is both the most sought after - and most expensive - item up for grabs, but many customers have reported a shortage of stock. Foodstuffs North Island CEO Chris Quin says 70,000 of these braisers were ordered, but the company didn't expect this level of demand. "Guessing what mix of the five or six items we have in this promotion would be desired and where they would sit - we get international advice, we get local advice, we give it our best shot." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Competition's lacking in the supermarket sector and Kiwis are struggling to put food on the table.  The Commerce Commission's Annual Grocery Report's revealed our grocery prices are the fifth-highest in the developed world.  It highlights the market isn't supportive of new players, and major supermarkets continue to wield power over smaller stores. Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden says extra competition is key to bringing prices down more. "That's why we're so focused on using all the tools we have available to ensure that we do get competition going in the market for the long term."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister says the petrol tax needs replacing - to keep up revenue for maintaining roads. Chris Bishop's announced universal road user charges will be implemented for all vehicles, to be paid like a bill. The Government wants payments to reflect road-use, not a vehicle's fuel-efficiency. Bishop says with 350,000 hybrids on the road, fewer people are paying fuel taxes. He explained the national land transport fund's revenue is slowly diminishing - which is needed to maintain existing roads and build new ones. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand businesses owe more than $1.4 billion in unpaid GST and PAYE from the 2025 tax year, according to new reports. Of 2025's number, $432.9 million relates to employer activities and $1.047 billion to GST. IRD Customer Segment Manager Tony Morris says this data's in line with what's happening overseas - but it's an area they aim to put more focus on. "What we're seeing is a bit of an increase in the amount of companies getting in debt - and some of those are the ones that possibly would have failed earlier during Covid. So we're definitely seeing an increase." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sluggish job market is another bump in our road to economic recovery, according to some recent predictions. The unemployment rate's sitting at 5.2 percent - its highest point in five years.  In late 2021, it was just 3.2 percent.  Westpac senior economist, Michael Gordon, says it shows our economic slowdown's ongoing.  He says it's not too surprising, given the Reserve Bank's moves to control inflation.  "I think we're getting towards the end - we have seen economic activity picking up, but it's just not coming through in terms of businesses needing to hire just yet."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has unveiled a new plan designed to level the playing field for all motorists. Transport and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop's announced the Government plans to implement universal road user charges, to be paid like a bill. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this sounds like a good concept in theory, but there's some key flaws. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk’s reputation has taken a noticeable dive, according to the most recent data. Gallup surveyed Americans about what they thought of  14 well-known U.S. and global figures, with 61 percent of respondents having an unfavourable opinion of Musk. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says that other people in Trump's inner circle also had negative net favourability ratings, with RFK Jr and JD Vance underperforming in the poll.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fishing practices are facing a major overhaul, on a scale not seen for decades.  Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says his new reforms remove obstacles to growth, for the $1.5 billion dollar industry.  The changes include simpler land and discard rules for fishers on monitored vessels - and the exclusion of on-board camera footage from the Official Information Act. Sport Fishing Council President Scott Macindoe says he doesn't approve of these proposed changes. "Anyone who takes these proposals seriously and takes them forward into legislation - we're staggered. Nothing of what we've offered has been taken seriously." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nigel Farage has called on the police to release the immigration status of the suspects charged with crimes following the arrest of two men in connection with an alleged rape in Warwickshire. The Reform UK leader said he 'absolutely' thinks such details should be released when asked about the matter at a news conference. UK correspondent Enda Brady explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest unemployment statistics for New Zealand are due out tomorrow, and experts are divided ahead of the announcement. Many are projecting the market will have deteriorated further, but some are hoping things would have picked up. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump surprised New Zealand businesses with a new 15 percent tariff, and experts have crunched the numbers to find out what this could mean for our key sectors. The imposition of the new tariff on Kiwi exports is projected to cost the red meat sector an estimated $300 million and wine exporters $112 million. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog contributor and Curia pollster David Farrar and former Labour minister Stuart Nash joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Should NZ on Air fund reality TV? What about netball getting a boost? What do we think of all this? Another week, and more stories about small children being abused at the hands of their carers. Why do we not talk about this more? Can we change this? How do we feel about AI marking our kids' exams? Yet again, New World's run into some issues with their latest giveaway. Why does this keep happening? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I want to talk about kids being bashed by their families. We've had a really bad run of it - I don't know if you've realized - in the last few weeks. As far as I can see, just in the last 8 weeks, we've had the toddler in the suitcase, and we've had the baby in the bin in Auckland. We've also had a 2-month-old go to hospital with serious injuries that happened today, we've had a 3-month-old taken to hospital in Wellington in June, and we've had a 6-month-old critically injured at a Foxton Beach house in July. And we've hardly talked about this. I mean, we've talked about the toddler in the suitcase yesterday, world media talked about it too because it is so bizarre, it's hard to ignore. We also talked about the baby in the bin, that got about a day's worth of coverage, again, because that was pretty out there - putting a baby in a bin.  But everything else, almost no coverage. Now, do you know why that is? I mean, part of it is obviously that this is now not unusual anymore. We just bash our babies all the time in this country apparently - but also because you're not actually allowed to talk about it. I don't know if you realize this, but the moment that Oranga Tamariki, which is the new CYFS, uplifts a kid, the Family Court orders basically automatic blanket suppression on it. Which means the police can't say anything, it means OT itself can't say anything, it means the media can't say anything. So the news coverage just basically dies. We get: "baby's gone to hospital," and that's the end of it. No more coverage. It's actually only when the child dies that we can talk about it in detail because there is now no young person to protect anymore. Now, isn't that the opposite of what we want? I mean, I think this is doing our kids a disservice.  I understand why we did this in the first place, why we put these suppression orders in - the idea was to protect the privacy of these young people. But what it is also doing is protecting the privacy of the thugs in their families who put them in hospital or in the suitcase or in the bin. And what it also means is that no one then talks about what's going on. We're not horrified by the detail because there is no detail, so we don't talk about it, including politicians - and they should be the ones pitching solutions. At the rate that we're bashing our kids, this should be an election issue every single election - but it's not because we hardly talk about it because of the rules. So surely the rules should change. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 5 August 2025, the Education Minister wants AI to mark most school exams by 2028. Heather asks the teachers union's Chris Abercrombie whether that's a good idea. The software retailers use to report theft is so good, it's overwhelming police with 8000 reports just last month. Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson says it's actually a good news story. New World is yet again running out of its promotion products, meaning shoppers are being left empty handed after collecting stickers for weeks. Is this the weirdest story of the week? The man who is running for mayor in two different towns on opposite ends of the South Island - and why he's running under two different names. Andrew Maxwell Clarke speaks to Heather. Plus, the Huddle debates why we speak so little about kids getting hurt by their parents and whether a law change could help. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rules are being slashed for homeowners building small garden sheds and sleep-outs.  The Government today announced there will soon be no boundary distance rules for detached buildings smaller than 10 square metres.  Currently, the distance must at least match their height. Construction Minister Chris Penk explained that the rules needed to be updated for people trying to do more with less space. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A candidate claims his running for two different mayoralties is not an issue. Andrew Maxwell Clark's put his hat in the ring to replace his brother, Nobby Clark, as Invercargill's mayor. But he's also campaigning in his hometown, Tasman. He's campaigning as Andrew in Invercargill - and as Maxwell in Tasman. Clark says he put his hand up for Tasman before he knew the incumbent was running again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New World customers are struggling to get their hands on Smeg kitchenware, available under a 12-week promotion. They can collect one sticker for every $20 spent. But the highest-value option, the braiser, is running out - and New World says there won't be any extra deliveries.  Consumer NZ, CEO Jon Duffy, says New World has specified this is 'while stocks last'. But he says it's also required by law to have appropriate stocks.  "With these promotions, this is not their first rodeo, they've done these over the years - so they do know that these promotions are popular." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police systems used to track crime may be struggling to cope, with a growing number of reports coming in. Auror is an Auckland intelligence platform used by retailers to give police information on potential offenders.  It shows retail theft reports have doubled from 4000 a month in 2022 - to 8000 a month this year.  Police Assistant Commissioner Mike Johnson says the volume gives a good idea of the total crime picture.  "We want to put together where there's prolific offenders, and deal with the other matters." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A secondary teachers' union is dubious AI could adequately grade almost all school assessments within three years. The Government plans to replace NCEA with a system emphasising literacy and numeracy more.  The Education Minister is also now saying AI is already partly in use for marking - and NZQA is confident it could do almost all assessments by 2028. PPTA President, Chris Abercrombie, says he isn't convinced. "Seeing how the students write, understanding, reading between the lines - sometimes you have to figure out what the students are trying to say and I just don't know if AI is quite there yet to be able to do those kinds of things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's unsure if foreshore and seabed changes will spark major backlash. It's going ahead with plans to make it more difficult for iwi to get customary marine titles, giving them rights over certain coastline activity. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper weighed in on the changes - and speculated about the possible reactions.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence index shows Australian consumer confidence has reached the highest level in over three years. More Australian households have reported feeling better off financially, with levels expected to grow in the coming months. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the RBA is set to meet next week - and economists are hopeful a rate cut will come. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ARL Commission boss Peter V’landys has revealed a State of Origin game in New Zealand could become a reality. Reports claim the NRL is in negotiations with New Zealand government and tourism officials to take Origin to either Auckland or Christchurch in 2027. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Controversial new foreshore and seabed legislation is expected to pass within months. The Government has confirmed it'll go ahead with changing the Marine and Coastal Areas Act. It follows a Supreme Court ruling, opposing an original Court of Appeal decision that could've made it easier for iwi to have ownership rights over coastlines. Treaty Negotiations Minister Paul Goldsmith says there will be a reasonable hurdle to get over if a group wants a customary marine title. "The Supreme Court dealt with some of the issues that we were concerned about, but not all." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.