Holiday Breakfast

In an effort to make newborn hearing checks a more comfortable process for babies and parents Christchurch Hospital has developed an innovation to replace cool gels. 

"Exhausted mothers after breastfeeding all night would be anxious that we'd wake the baby up when we were screening in the maternity units," Christchurch Hospital's Newborn Hearing Screening Programme co-ordinator Angela Deken told Andrew Dickens.

"And so, the ku...

Australian comedian Elouise Eftos fights against the culture of self-deprecation with her tongue-in-cheek self-dubbed title of Australia's first attractive comedian.

Eftos spoke to Dickens about the discomfort people display when someone is outwardly confident and secure. 

"Why is being a confident woman that knows she's funny and attractive and smart, why is that so confronting to people?", she asked.

Eftos is performing 'Aph...

Todd McClay will sign the free trade deal with India in Delhi today following uncertainty as New Zealand First pulled support and Labour held out until the last minute.

Earlier this month some of New Zealand’s top exporters and business associations signed an open letter calling on all political parties to back the agreement. 

India New Zealand Business Council deputy chair Tony Martin told Andrew Dickens, "I think deep down, ...

Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha officially opened this weekend with a sold out match between the Crusaders and Waratahs on Friday night.

The All Blacks’ first test at the venue on July 4, and the Warriors’ first NRL match at the stadium in June both quickly sold out, while Robbie Williams and the Foo Fighters are set to perform in late 2026 / early 2027. 

Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge says the One New Ze...

The government is putting funds towards repairs needed on New Zealand's great bike trails due to storm damage.

It is expected that the Hauraki Rail Trail, that's been shut since January, the Waikato River Trail, and a connecting track on the Tasman Great Taste Trail will need approximately $800,000 to fix. 

"If you think about the Hauraki Rail Trail, it is absolutely spectacular, but it does mean that it is vulnerable to weath...

The annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner took place in Washington last night, but was cancelled part way through after a shooter with multiple weapons charged through a security checkpoint.

Washington Bureau Chief for the Guardian, David Smith, was present at the dinner. 

He told Andrew Dickens, "I heard some shouting and people diving under tables, and that kind of rippled like a wa...

A nationwide survey by the Combined Building Supplies Co-operative has found that 84% of members have felt moderate to significant impact from fuel price increases. 

CEO Carl Taylor said some builders can't even afford to get to their work sites. 

"So, clients are obviously starting to look at pausing their projects, pricing becomes harder to lock in, and the confidence drops, and that's when the activity slows," he told ...

Pop-duo Foley has just spent four weeks on the Hot 20 singles chart, peaking at number 1, following their EP release 'Like an Actress'. 

The duo is made up of Ash Wallace and Gabriel Everett. 

Ash Wallace joined Andrew Dickens to chat defining genre, the New Zealand music community, and aspirations. 

"I think it's always hard to narrow your own music down," Wallace said.

"You know, you think of all your different inf...

Far-right political party One Nation, led by Pauline Hanson, has surpassed Labor and the Coalition in Queensland in the latest poll. 

"Once upon a time, Pauline Hanson was the fringe lunatic way out on the lunar right, and now, in South Australia, she smashed the conservative vote down there," Australian correspondent Murray Olds said.

Olds chats to Andrew Dickens about One Nation's unprecedented rise, and solutions to the fue...

Endurance swimmer Jono Ridler has completed a 1367km journey, swimming the length of the North Island, in an effort to raise awareness against bottom trawling. 

After getting out of the water on Saturday, Ridler led a convoy of people to the steps of Parliament, where multiple ministers waited, and he was presented with a taonga.

Ridler spoke to Andrew Dickens about the difficult journey, "a good percentage of the time it was ...

The Government's 2034 tourism target is to lift arrivals to 4.78 million, but a report for MBIE shows that this could require up to $3.5 billion in extra infrastructure.

Regions like Queenstown are already facing pressure on their infrastructure with Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism CEO Mat Woods saying they are 'bursting at the seams'. 

He told Andrew Dickens, "we're having to actually release treated waste...

Actors Cliff Curtis and Jason Momoa, and director Taika Waititi, have purchased Auckland-based Studio West with the goal to bring more jobs and Polynesian storytelling to the country.

"It's still a pretty tough time for the screen industry, but it is some positive news in the middle of all of that," Screen Production and Development Association President, Irene Gardiner said. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

US President Donald Trump has issued threats to Iran in an R-rated speech as his ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz comes to an end. 

He has said he will target Iran’s critical infrastructure if the strait is not reopened before Monday.

Jeffrey Price, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, joined Andrew Dickens to chat about what to expect as this deadline roll...

Australia’s new hate speech laws have hit a speedbump.  

Parliament was recalled early to pass reform that would create serious offences for hate in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.  

However, the Opposition and the Greens are refusing to accept the laws in their current form.  

Australia Correspondent Murray Olds told Andrew Dickens the Opposition is saying the timeline is ridiculous, and that the bill is unsalv...

For many, Six60 is an undeniable part of the New Zealand summer soundscape.  

Their classics such as ‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’, ‘The Greatest’, and ‘Please Don’t Go’ are a staple of every backyard barbeque summer get together, and soon a few new songs will be joining the playlists.  

Their fifth studio album ‘Right Here Right Now’ is set to be released in February, but two new singles are already available.  

Frontma...

A tourism leader in Kaikoura says they're having their busiest summer season since a major earthquake almost a decade ago.  

Visitor numbers reached about 220 thousand in November, up nearly 30 thousand on the year before. 

Destination Kaikoura Chair Chris Sturgeon told Andrew Dickens tourism and hospitality players says things are booming. 

He says there's a positive feeling throughout the town, and says Kaikoura's ...

President Donald Trump is threatening to deploy troops to Minnesota, with heated clashes on the streets over the presence of ICE. 

US Homeland Security says a federal officer has shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel as he tried to make an arrest. 

Protests have erupted in the city since an anti-immigration officer shot a woman dead last week. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told An...

Online hate speech in New Zealand is becoming more targeted and our system can't keep pace. 

Netsafe's latest survey shows since 2018, the proportion of ethnicity-based hate speech has risen from 18% to 36%, becoming the most common reason people are targeted. 

Political-based hate has also increased to 25%. 

Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer Sean Lyons told Andrew Dickens regulation is a really important part of d...