Matt Heath & Tyler Adams Afternoons

Dean Lonergan is one our most iconic and successful event promoters. A former rugby league player, he’s brought to fruition some truly superstar events including Jeff Horn vs Manny Pacquiao, and David Tua v Shane Cameron. He’s now making waves across the ditch with his son Liam promoting some of the biggest boxing fights in Australasia, and is working on bringing back the hugely popular and successful Fight for Life event. He was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this weeks Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People who are laid off may soon be able to claim support worth as much as 80 per cent of their former income, under a Government unemployment insurance plan unveiled today. Under the scheme, someone who loses their job will be given payments worth 80 per cent of their former income (capped at salaries of $130,911), for up to seven months after they lose their job. The Government reckons it can smooth the transition in and out of unemployment, and help people survive periods of not having a job, without it scarring a person's career. The scheme comes at a cost - a levy of 1.39 cents on every dollar earned by employees and businesses. That would mean someone earning $880 a week would pay $12.23 a week in levies and receive $704 a week if they were laid off. A person earning $2000 a week would pay $27.80 in levies and receive $1600 a week in insurance if they were laid off. The policy, dubbed New Zealand Income Insurance Scheme (NZIIS) was announced at the Budget last year. The details were negotiated between the Government, the Council of Trade Unions and BusinessNZ. The plan released on Wednesday is in draft form, and will go out for consultation before any final decisions are agreed. ACC will collect the levies and administer the scheme. Like ACC, levies could change over time, but would be frozen at 1.39 cents for the first two years of the scheme. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said lessons learned from the Covid-19 economic response guided the creation of the scheme, which shifts the focus of Government support from keeping people in their existing jobs, to supporting people to find new and better jobs. "During Covid-19, the Government protected livelihoods with the Wage Subsidy Scheme and Resurgence Support Payment," Robertson said. "This was primarily done through keeping people in their existing jobs and supporting businesses most directly affected by the pandemic," he said. Robertson said the scheme is a more "enduring solution" to the problem of managing unemployment during a downturn. "Our proposed scheme provides economic security to individuals directly, and supports them to transition into a good, new job, as opposed to economic support packages which keep people in their existing job even if that role is no longer viable," Robertson said CTU President said the scheme would help the 100,000 Kiwis who lose their jobs every year. "A job loss often results in a significant income shock that can affect wellbeing and earnings, even when a person finds new work. That's because finding a good job takes time. Many people accept lower-paid jobs that don't match their skillset because of the financial pressure to get back to work quickly," he said. The total annual cost of the scheme is estimated to be $3.54 billion, made up of $1.81b for displacement and $1.73 billion for health condition and disability claims. The scheme promises broad coverage for different working arrangements, and covers job losses due to redundancy, layoffs, and health conditions and disabilities. Employers would pay workers through a four-week notice period, and a "bridging payment", worth four weeks salary, at 80 per cent. After that, employees would access funding from the scheme, paid at 80 per cent of wages or salary. Robertson described the briding payment as an "integrity measure" to ensure employers did not misuse the scheme. The scheme also pays for case management that will help guide people to re-joining the workforce. These costs will be carried by the Crown, as will the cost of administering the scheme. The Government reckons the cost of "displacement" from the workforce can be substantial. Analysis suggests the costs of unemployment could amount to $15.4b a year over the first five years following job losses, assuming the displacement of 100,000 working people. 'Jobs tax' National and Act raised...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Fleming is considered one of our greatest ever batsmen and widely hailed as one of the Black Caps most successful captains. After retiring from the Black Caps he went on to play for the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, before taking over as head coach of the team during which he’s won four titles in 2010, 2011, 2018 & last year. Among his many accolades he was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Cricket in 2011. Stephen Fleming was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this week's Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer prices are rising at the fastest pace since 1990... with inflation hitting 5.9 per cent at the end of 2021.Figures from Statistics New Zealand show a further sharp lift in the cost of construction, petrol and rents pushed the consumer price index up 1.4 per cent in the final three months of the year.Simon Barnett & James Daniels spoke with Principal Economist and Director of Infometrics Brad Olden.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Ian Taylor joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to talk about RAT test kits and the truth of working with the government. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Anthony Jordan is the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre’s clinical director and one of our leading immunologists. As we enter the Omicron phase he offered us more advice on how we can prepare including the various masks that at available.He joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer listeners questions about COVID-19. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Waikato couple's fairytale wedding was pulled together in just a few hours following yesterday's announcement that New Zealand was headed back into the red traffic light setting.With just a few hours' of warning, Waikato couple Stef and Danyon Cuneen were married last night. Vows were written on the back of real estate leaflets, a hairdresser was summoned from her hangover, and a dress was procured.Today Mel Brown spoke to the Herald in place of her newly-wed sister - who right after her nuptials was busy back at her job as a nurse. Brown says her sister and brother-in-law were determined to sneak in their ceremony at Lake Karapiro before the country moved back into the red traffic light setting."We were all watching the announcement at 11am, and my sister has had to reschedule her wedding twice," Brown explained of Cuneen's plans to get married in 2020 and another date she had to pull the plug on."I mean, she still could have got married in red, but it kind of takes away the party vibe of it. Because you have to be separated with your 100 people and stay seated."She's a nurse, so she's thinking of other people. But I think they were just tired of it all."So we have a family chat on Facebook and she just put in there 'F*** it, let's get married today.'" As the eldest sister, Brown chimed in with a sense check."I said, 'Are you serious?' And she said, 'Yeah'. So were like, okay, we can do that."The sisters banded together and pulled off the impressive feat in just six hours. Brown called her hairdresser who was able to do the make-up, luring her from her hangover with the promise of earning some cash.There was one main dilemma, however: the dress.The photographer, Clare Gordon, had a spare dress on hand.But it didn't fit.So one of Cuneen's bridesmaids came to the rescue and brought along a wedding dress that the bride ended up wearing for her special day.And, of course, every great wedding needs a cake. A friend happened to have a spare one that was never picked up by the customer.The wedding arch, pictured above, was found in someone's garden. Brown's husband picked it up with a trailer and hammered it into the ground.The details were all set, including food from a local restaurant who heard about the couple's story and rallied together to feed the 50 guests able to attend.Friends even trekked from as far as Waiheke Island when they heard the ceremony was happening."From a nurse's point of view, she just thought that if this is the start of the next Covid wave, then by April [their wedding date] we could be in a really bad place," Brown says."She made the choice and we just didn't go back." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mᴇʟ Bʀᴏᴡɴ (@mel_brown___) Brown says the ceremony was emotional for everyone involved.The best moment was "100 per cent when her husband saw her."There's a beautiful photo of him having a good ol' cry. He's a bit of a softy."But getting to actually walk down the aisle and them saying their vows - which she actually wrote on the back of a real-estate pamphlet at my mum's house because she had no paper ... "Brown says their mum was "very overwhelmed by the whole thing"."There was a disappointment for her at first that it wasn't going to be the wedding that she thought she was going to have for her last daughter. But she spent the afternoon in the kitchen making the buttonholes for the boys."As the couple settle into the first day of their married lives together, Brown says she knows her sister and new brother-in-law are made for each other and is really proud of everyone who helped pull their wedding together in just a few hours."I know that those two are meant to be and I'm just really proud that we pulled it off for her and she got the day that she wanted."- Lydia...See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matthew Hunt's mother says she couldn't have asked for a better son.Eli Epiha has been sentenced to life in prison, with a non-parole period of 27 years for fatally shooting Hunt last June in Auckland's Massey.In July, a jury was convinced he tried to kill two officers that day -- finding him guilty of attempting to murder Hunt's partner, David Goldfinch.Matthew's mother, Diane, told the High Court at Auckland today her son would have achieved so much.Reporter Chelsea Daniels was in Court for Epiha's sentencing and joined Simon Barnett & James Daniels on the show.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Jordan has been one of the most talked about rugby players in 2021, with his natural flair and x-factor making him an international superstar. A product of Christchurch Boy’s High School, he was a member of the 2017 New Zealand Under 20 side that went on to win the World Championship. His eye-catching form in the 2019 Mitre 10 Cup season saw him help Tasman to their first ever premiership title, and in 2020 he finished the Super Rugby Aotearoa season with the most tries, defenders beaten and metres gained. He made his debut for the All Blacks in late 2020, and this year scored a record 15 tries in 11 tests. This week he won World Rugby's Breakthrough Player of the Year award, and was also named in World Rugby’s dream First 15. Will Jordan was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this week's Six and a Song.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ is adding new criteria to its product rating scores.Lifetime performance scores will include reliability and repairability.This is the biggest change to the consumer watchdog's rating in 50 years.Many modern appliances worked well when they were new, but some of them were not built to last according to Consumer NZ product test manager Paul Smith.He joined Simon Barnett & James Daniels to talk about the changes.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Business Editor Hamish Rutherford joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to discuss BusinessNZ's decision to withdraw from the Government’s Fair Pay Agreements scheme.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gareth Abdinor is an Employment Lawyer and Partner with Malley & Co solicitors.He regularly joins Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer all listeners' employment related questions.Today, he answered questions about surveillance in the workplace, vaccine mandates and termination after a workplace injury - among other things.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns over the use of the Glyphosate were back in the news last night.An Official Information Act request made by 1News revealed transport agency Waka Kotahi planned cutbacks to the controversial weedkiller's use along public roads.Simon Barnett and James Daniels spoke with leading agricultural academic Dr Jacqueline Rowarth.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon has long been hailed as a potential future leader, including by the likes of National's former Prime Minister John Key. Previously known for leading Air New Zealand as its Chief Executive for six years, he rose quickly through the National Party ranks to become the party’s new leader this week. The new National Leader was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this week's Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Riley Elliott is one of this country’s most renowned Shark scientists. Known as Shark Man, he’s back on our screens with a new show called Shark Academy, where he and his crack team of instructors put 8 rookies though a series of tests to find the next master of apex predators. It’s streaming now on ThreeNow. Dr Elliott joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to chat about the show and take listeners questions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Niki Bezzant is an award-winning wellbeing writer, speaker, commentator, editor of Thrive magazine and Health editor for Woman magazine.She’s made a successful career from her passion for food, health, nutrition, and wellbeing.Every second Wednesday Niki takes your questions and calls on everything nutrition, food, and health.This week we had some great questions on getting rid of a pot belly, oat sachets and tinned tuna, plus plenty more.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christopher Luxon has formally been elected National Party leader and Nicola Willis elected as deputy.His election was confirmed in a statement at 3.30pm. "It is a tremendous privilege to lead our great party, and I thank my colleagues for the confidence they have placed in me," Luxon said.He said Willis would "do an incredible job and we will be a formidable team".Barry Soper joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to confirm the news.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Anthony Jordan is the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre’s clinical director and one of only two Maori immunologists in Aotearoa. His motivation working with the vaccination programme is ensuring equal access for all Māori to both the vaccine and to informed korero about why getting vaccinated is the best way to protect whanau and the community from COVID-19.He joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer listeners questions about COVID-19. Today he answered questions about rapid antigen tests, AstraZeneca and booster shots. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new book examines why all governments ‘stuff up’, why policies often fail and what practical steps we might take to improve policy-making in Aotearoa New Zealand.University of Canterbury Adjunct Professors Sonia Mazey and Jeremy Richardson lift the lid on policy-making in the new collection Policy-making Under Pressure: Rethinking the policy process in Aotearoa New Zealand, published by Canterbury University Press.Its editors, Adjunct Professors Sonia Mazey and Jeremy Richardson of Canterbury University, offer a series of recommendations for better quality public policy including allowing ministers to be appointed from outside Parliament, establishing policy commissions, and a four-year term.Professor Sonia Mazey joined Simon Barnett & James Daniels.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All Black captain Sam Whitelock, head trainer Nic Gill and assistant coach Brad Mooar are set to ride bikes for 24 hours to raise money for Bowel Cancer Prevention.The three are taking on the challenge of peddling for 24 hours on a stationary Watt Bike while in MIQ after returning from the All Blacks Northern Tour yesterday.They're doing it for All Blacks logistics manager Kevin "Chalky" Carr, who passed away from cancer in 2018.The Chalky Carr Trust, set up in his name, provides practical support for cancer sufferers and their whānau. Gill, Whitelock and Mooar are getting on their bikes to kick-off efforts to raise $100,000 for early bowel cancer detection.Sam Whitelock spoke with Simon Barnett & James Daniels while riding the bike.LISTEN ABOVEwww.givealittle.co.nz/cause/24hr-watty-challenge-for-chalkySee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The face of a Kiwi is, by and large, a natural one. Compared to other parts of the world such as Europe, China and the US, we're a down-to-earth bunch - our age lines and imperfections are all right with us.But as Botox and fillers become more commonplace, plastic surgeons and cosmetic doctors are warning that without changes to legislation, the bubble may be about to burst on our cosmetically unenhanced innocence.For Auckland-based cosmetic doctor and censor of the New Zealand Society of Cosmetic Medicine (NZSCM), Dr Sarah Hart, she's seen the age bracket shift to a younger set of women wanting lip fillers and Botox. And in general, says the demand for injectables has quadrupled since lockdown.She spoke with Simon Barnett & James Daniels about her concerns about the lack of public understanding about what qualifications to look for in a practitioner and a legislation "loop hole" which means anyone can import and inject dermal fillers.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Singer-songwriter Jon Stevens is recognised as one of the most talented rock musicians to emerge from Australasia. His solo career took off in 1980 when, at the age of 16, he topped the New Zealand charts with his first two singles. His commercial success didn’t stop there, as Jon went on to front Sydney rock band Noiseworks, who released three platinum studio albums. Jon went on to perform in the Australian production of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar, and following the death of his friend Michael Hutchence, he was asked to take his place as the lead singer of INXS and toured with the band. He’s continued his success as a musician, songwriter and producer – and will be back on our shores in March next year to perform in four special shows along with local legends The Narcs. Jon Stevens was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this week's Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former National leader Judith Collins has left the building.She fled Parliament this afternoon... after losing a no confidence vote at the hands of her caucus.Despite this, she told media she was feeling very good.She says it's a really hard job and she's done everything she possibly can.. and wishes everyone well.In a tweet, she says she will stay on as the MP for Papakura and will contest the next election.National's interim leader is Shane Reti... a permanent leader will be chosen next Tuesday.Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper joined Simon Barnett & James Daniels to wrap the day's developments.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank has today hiked the official cash rate by 0.25 per cent to 0.75 per cent.Last month the official cash rate was lifted from a record low 0.25 per cent.That 25-basis-point hike was the first for the RBNZ in seven years.The Monetary Policy Committee noted that "further removal of monetary policy stimulus is expected over time given the medium term outlook for inflation and employment".Some economists saw an outside chance of a double hike but the news today was largely in line with expectations.Cameron Bagrie of Bagrie Economics joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels with his analysis.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gareth Abdinor is an Employment Lawyer and Partner with Malley & Co solicitors.He regularly joins Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer all listeners' employment related questions.Today, he answered questions about breaks at work, individual contract negotiations, enforced leave and vaccine status - among other things .LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker joined Simon Barnett & James Daniels to discuss where we are with COVID-19 after the announcement of the upcoming removal of the Auckland border.He explained that he feels there are too many holes in our approach and we need more checks and balances.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dame Cindy Kiro has held a myriad of prestigious roles in health, research and social services over her career including Chief Executive of the Royal Society Te Aparangi, Children’s Commissioner, Head of the School of Public Health at Massey University, and Pro-Vince Chancellor of the University of Auckland. She was sworn in as New Zealand's Governor-General on October 21 becoming the first Maori woman to hold the office. Among her many accolades she was appointed a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to child wellbeing and education, which was elevated to Dame Grand Companion in preparation for becoming Governor General. Dame Cindy was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this week’s Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Niki Bezzant is an award-winning wellbeing writer, speaker, commentator, editor of Thrive magazine and Health editor for Woman magazine.She’s made a successful career from her passion for food, health, nutrition, and wellbeing.Every second Wednesday Niki takes your questions and calls on everything nutrition, food, and health.This week we had some great questions on olive oil, calories and weight, broccoli stalks and diet sodas.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Anthony Jordan is the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre’s clinical director and one of only two Maori immunologists in Aotearoa. His motivation working with the vaccination programme is ensuring equal access for all Māori to both the vaccine and to informed korero about why getting vaccinated is the best way to protect whanau and the community from COVID-19.He joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer listeners questions about COVID-19 and the vaccine as NZ hit a new Delta record with 222 new community cases today.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Work hard, play hard - that was broadcaster Guyon Espiner's life with booze.But blackouts, bad hangovers and even an embarrassing incident with Helen Clark wasn't enough to stop him drinking - until two years ago.He's now made a documentary called PROOF about kicking the habit, New Zealand's drinking culture and the influence of the alcohol industry.Guyon Espiner joined Simon Barnett & James Daniels to talk about his journey.LISTEN ABOVEPROOF is available on TVNZ on Demand.For help with alcohol call 0800 787 797 www.alcoholdrughelp.org.nzSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Candy Lane is a professional dancer, choreographer, television presenter and TV star. She co-presented TVNZ's Dancing With The Stars and also choreographed New Zealand's Got Talent, The Singing Bee and Stars in Their Eyes. She has just finished taking part in the hit TVNZ show Celebrity Treasure Island where she made it to the final 6. In 2014, she was awarded the Queens Service Medal for her services to dance. She was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this weeks' Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gareth Abdinor is an Employment Lawyer and Partner with Malley & Co solicitors.He regularly joins Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer all listeners' employment related questions.Today, he joined the show to answer questions about redundancy, compulsory vaccination and workplace injuries amongst other things.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has introduced changes to help ease the impacts of COVID-19 restrictions on both commercial and residential tenancies.As part of the COVID-19 Response Legislation Bill, measures are being taken to help businesses resolve disputes over commercial rent, as well as provide greater certainty for landlords and tenants by protecting residential tenancies from being terminated during COVID-19 Alert Level 4.Arbitration will be required where landlords and tenants are unable to come to agreement about a fair rent proportion, unless they agree to an alternative dispute resolution process such as mediation.The Residential Tenancies Act changes will enable restrictions against residential tenancy terminations to be switched on and off by Ministerial order.Property Investors Federations executive officer Sharon Cullwick feels some of the measures are excessive.She spoke to James Daniels and Tyler Adams.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a past life, Mike King was one of New Zealand's most well-known entertainers, but that role changed dramatically with the inception of the radio show The Nutters Club Newstalk ZB. That’s evolved to see Mike become a prominent mental health educator and Ambassador for both I Am Hope, the Key to Life Charitable Trust.Add to that Gumboot Friday which is raising money to provide free and timely counselling for any young person in need. Gumboot Friday is tomorrow and will go virtual this year. A great pleasure to welcome Mike King for Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the outside, weight loss surgery appears to be a cure-all for obesity and related diseases - the easy way to drop a lot of weight and keep it off for good.A great article from Rebecca Blithe about the varying successes of this purported marvel of modern medicine appeared in the NZ Herald today and it got us talking about weight loss.A man known to most New Zealanders called in to tell his weight loss story.Take a listen to Simon Gault speaking to James Daniels and Tyler AdamsLISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Niki Bezzant is an award-winning writer, speaker, commentator, and Health Editor for Woman Magazine. She’s made a successful career from her passion for food, health, nutrition, and wellbeing. Every second Wednesday Niki takes your questions and calls on everything nutrition, food, and health.This week we had some great questions on weight loss, MSG, frozen vegetables, exercise habits and living without a microwave. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Revelations today that former All Blacks prop Hayman has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and probable CTE, aged just 41.In a statement, New Zealand Rugby CEO Mark Robinson has offered his thoughts saying Hayman wore the black jersey with distinction.Robinson stressed the importance of player safety and wellbeing as NZR's number one priority, and their desire to continue contributing to world-leading policies and research on concussion.Robinson and Hayman played together in the All Blacks set-up in the early 2000's.Newstalk ZB Sportstalk Host D'Arcy Waldegrave has had his own journey with concussion and he joined James Daniels and Tyler Adams to discuss the issue.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac New Zealand's cash earnings shot up by 56 per cent to $1.01 billion in the year to September, boosted by a $404 million turnaround in asset impairment charges. Net interest income benefitted from a 3 basis point increase in margins and lending growth of 5 per cent driven by $5.7b in mortgage growth. Deposits increased by 7 per cent, or $4.9b, which fully funded the bank's loan growth and lifted its deposit-to-loan ratio to 82 per cent, the bank said. Westpac said strong momentum in the economy has contributed to a "solid" full year result. Acting chief executive Simon Power said Covid-19 was causing significant strain and uncertainty for parts of the community but economic activity in the year leading up to the latest outbreak had been very strong. The Delta variant of Covid-19 posed serious health and financial challenges. "Looking to the horizon, we're optimistic increasing vaccination rates will reduce the impact of the virus on New Zealanders' health and the economy," Power said. The bank last year increased our lending provisions to $657m to reflect the economic outlook from expected Covid-19 impacts. "The economy has performed better than expected and, as such, our lending provision levels have reduced to $525m, representing 0.6 per cent of our total lending portfolio," he said. There was a 9 per cent lift in core earnings on the prior comparative period, arising from growth in lending and deposit volumes and a 3bps increase in net interest margin to 2.00 per cent, partially offset by increased spending on risk and regulatory compliance activities. Power said first home buyers were very active in a buoyant housing market. Westpac helped first home buyers to purchase 6,598 homes during the reporting period – up 24 per cent on the prior comparable period.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Climate scientist Dave Frame joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to discuss the All Blacks' deal with petrochemical company Ineos and why he was one of the 100 people that signed the open letter denouncing the deal.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Anthony Jordan is the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre’s clinical director and one of only two Maori immunologists in Aotearoa. His motivation working with the vaccination programme is ensuring equal access for all Māori to both the vaccine and to informed korero about why getting vaccinated is the best way to protect whanau and the community from COVID-19.He joined Tyler Adams (in for Simon Barnett today) and James Daniels to answer listeners questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine as Delta cases spread to Christchurch.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gareth Abdinor is an Employment Lawyer and Partner with Malley & Co solicitors.He regularly joins Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer listeners' employment related questions.Tyler Adam's was in for Si today as they discussed Kiwisaver contributions, company cars and the wage subsidy among other things.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Radius Care founder and chairman Brien Cree joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels on why he's decided to go against Ministry of Health guidelines and allow visitors into rest homes for residents' mental health.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Otago University epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to discuss the Government's press conference from this morning and the traffic light system.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Patrick Gower is one of our most recognised and popular TV personalities. After writing for the NZ Herald, he began a five year run as TV3's political editor in 2012, forging a reputation for his hard-nosed style. Along the way he covered many high profile stories from Parliament. He also achieved web fame when a 16-second long ‘thug life’ musical parody went viral in 2014. After returning to Three as 'National Correspondent', he has presented many high profile specials on Weed, P, Hate and the 2020 Lockdown. He was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this week's Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Niki Bezzant is an award-winning writer, speaker, commentator, and Health Editor for Woman Magazine. She’s made a successful career from her passion for food, health, nutrition, and wellbeing. Every second Wednesday Niki will be taking your questions and calls on everything nutrition, food, and health.This week we had some great questions on coconut oil, sports training and the One Meal A Day Diet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Property commentator Ashley Church joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels on National and Labour joining forces on the Housing Supply Bill, which will see as many as 105,500 homes built in a decade.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland University vaccinologist Helen Petousis-Harris joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to discuss Super Saturday, where the Prime Minister is hoping that 100,000 people will get vaccinated.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sir Ian Taylor became a household name as a television presenter in the 1980’s notably for TV series 'Spot On'He founded Taylormade Media in 1989 as a television production company, before establishing Animation Research Limited the following year. Animation Research quickly became one of the top computer animation companies in New Zealand and known internationally for its work, particularly in television advertising and sports graphics. He was inducted into the New Zealand Technology Hall of Fame in 2009, has been awarded New Zealander of the Year, and in January this year was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order or Merit for services to broadcasting, business and the community. He was Simon Barnett and James Daniels' guest for this weeks Six and a Song. LISTEN ABOVEAnd if you want to hear more of Sir Ian Taylor he appeared in Episode 1, Season 2 of Newstalk ZB's HP Business Class podcast series talking about how he and his business continued to thrive during the bleak, early days of COVID. The episode is available at iHeart Radio.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Anthony Jordan is the Northern Region Health Coordination Centre’s clinical director and one of only two Maori immunologists in Aotearoa. His motivation working with the vaccination programme is ensuring equal access for all Māori to both the vaccine and to informed korero about why getting vaccinated is the best way to protect whanau and the community from COVID-19.He joined Simon Barnett and James Daniels to answer listeners questions about the COVID-19 Vaccine and Super Saturday.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Andrew Little joined Simon Barnett & James Daniels to discuss the health system's ability to cope with Covid and home isolation for positive cases as cases are expected to double in the next fortnight.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.