Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills

It's the final Faceoff for 2024 - so who better than two Wellington broadcasting legends to dissect the news of the year? 

It's been a huge year in politics - and much of it has centered on Wellington. How has both the government and the  opposition performed, and who is the stand-out political performer of the year? 

Also, Wellington City Council and Mayor Tory Whanau have had their fair share of headlines this year...

It’s been a magnificent year in sport.

New Zealand had a record haul of 10 gold medals at the Paris Olympics, Wellington took out the NPC championship and the Phoenix had their best ever season.

To talk the sporting successes of 2024, who better than legendary sports broadcasters Grant Nisbett and Jason Pine.

The pair joined Nick Mills for the final Friday Sport Kickoff of the year, live from Prefab Cafe in Wellington.

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It’s been a big year for Finance Minister Nicola Willis.

She delivered her first budget which included her promised tax relief package, she laid off thousands of public servants and she’s facing deteriorating books, all in the midst of a technical recession.

So how would she rate her performance over the year, and what’s in store for 2025?

Willis joined Nick Mills for the final show of the year, live from Prefab Cafe in the city.

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Parliament has officially adjourned for the year and MPs and Ministers are journeying home to various parts of the country. 

Still in Wellington, though, are the two Lower Hutt-based MPs, Labour's Ginny Andersen and National's Chris Bishop.

The pair joined Nick Mills for the final Politics Thursday panel of 2024, where they debated the economic outlook after news of a big GDP slump, ongoing fallout from last week's ferry annou...

Wellington mayor Tory Whanau says she would rate her performance as the capital's mayor over 2024 as a "seven or eight". 

"I think it's gone up and down. Mid-year was probably around five, and if I would do things differently on certain things I would." 

It's been a difficult year for Whanau who has struggled to find a win.

The deal to redevelop Reading Cinema collapsed, she failed to gain the support of councillors to se...

Porirua could have been in store for a rates rise of more than 10 per cent - but the city's mayor says that could be limited to around half of that after careful spending decisions. 

Porirua mayor Anita Baker says the council has been careful how its spent money and made cuts in roles where they weren't needed.

This week Wellington Mornings is catching up with the mayors across the Wellington region. Baker joined Nick Mills to...

It's been a huge year for Wellington.

Local government has hogged the headlines, and repeated issues with ferries have caused the crossing between the North and South islands to become a hot political issue.

With her finger on the pulse of the city's news, NZ Herald Wellington issues reporter has joined Nick Mills weekly since the start of the year. 

This week in her final slot of the year, she discussed two high-profile resig...

The Government's half-year fiscal update paints a bleak economic picture for the years ahead.

It won't be until 2029 that the government will finally be out of deficit - longer than previously forecasted.

Despite that, Finance Minister Nicola Willis is pushing back on calls to make more cuts to government spending, saying the government has to manage an increasing population and demand for public services. 

To talk through the...

New Zealand's longest serving current mayor has revealed he is running for another term. 

2025 will be Wayne Guppy's ninth run for the top job, which he has held since 2001. 

This week Wellington Mornings is catching up with the mayors across the Wellington region. Guppy joined Nick Mills to discuss how Upper Hutt has fared over 2024 and what's in store for next year. 

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Over the next few days, Wellington Mornings is talking to local Mayors around our region for their thoughts on the year that was 2024. 

Today, Hutt City mayor Campbell Barry joined Nick Mills shortly before his last council meeting of the year, where councillors will discuss next year's budget and potential rates rises. 

He told Nick Mills it's been a tough year across the Wellington region, but believes Lower Hutt is doi...

Two people tragically died in water-related events in Wellington over the weekend. 

It comes as the country heads into the summer break, where drowning incidents typically spike. 

Water Safety NZ CEO Daniel Gerrard says the country's provisional drowning figures are still below average for this time of year, and it is important people heed warnings over the next few weeks to keep it that way. 

He joined Nick Mills.

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The government's plan for new Interislander ferries doesn't seem to be much of a plan at all - with no new ships or details on what they'll cost. Has the government dropped the ball?

Also, fuel company Waitomo and other independent service station owners say BNZ has told them there'll be no more loans and all outstanding debt must be paid by 2030 - a policy of the BNZ to meet their net zero targets. But BNZ says the de...

The Blackcaps take on England in Hamilton in the third test - a dead-rubber after a dismal performance by the home team over the first two tests. What went wrong for the Blackcaps?

Also, the Breakers have suffered five losses in a row, including in Wellington last Saturday night. What's going wrong for the team? 

Weekend Sport host Jason Pine and All Sport Breakfast host Adam Cooper joined Nick Mills.

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The government's plan for the Interislander ferry was light on detail - we don't know what new ferries we're getting, nor how much it will cost. Did the government drop the ball? 

Also, the Fair Digitial News Bargaining Bill that forces social media giants to pay for their use of NZ news still hasn't been introduced to Parliament - when will we see it, or is it on ice completely? 

To answer those questions, Justice and Me...

Labour leader Chris Hipkins has spent a year in opposition now - holding the top job longer than many commentators expected he would. 

Looking forward to 2025, Nick Mills asked Hipkins how Labour plans to grow its vote and what policy it plans on looking at.

Also, what is likely to be in the government's new plan for the Interisland ferries, and why has Labour called for the government's boot camp trial to be shut down? 

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The Vulnerable Support Charitable Trust (VSCT) is calling on the help of Wellingtonians ahead of the festive season.

The trust is behind an initiative to provide Christmas hampers for families across the Wellington region, now in its second year. 

But demand for the hampers is up almost 80 per cent on last year, and spokesperson Clint Schoultz says they need donations from Wellingtonians to sponsor hampers for families who don...

It's been one of the toughest years in memory for many businesses around Wellington with a sluggish economy, public-sector job cuts, high inflation, and roading changes around the CBD. 

But there is still loads of positivity around the capital according to our two guests on the final Business Panel of 2024, who are both hoping for a much stronger 2025. 

Retail NZ chief executive Carolyn Young and Backhouse Interiors owner...

The Government is expected to announce its plan for the future of the Interislander ferries this week. What are we expecting? 

Also, the government's boot camps have been in the headlines over the weekend after two young people absconded from the programme, and another was killed in a car accident. How politically harmful is this for the government? 

To answer those questions, Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls join...