Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Recent data has unveiled a silver lining in the latest June-quarter inflation figures.

Rents rose at their slowest rate, annually, in 25 years, according to Stats NZ.

The country’s stock of rents rose by 0.5 percent between the June 2025 and 2026 quarters, continuing the trend of softening increases that began towards the end of 2024.

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Stuart Nash has copped some backlash after criticising opponent Katie Nimon over her move to take a few months off after giving birth. Was this out of line?

Is the ANZ Premiership over and done? We've heard three teams have have been told thei...

Okay, here's the news on the netball front. Objectively, I don't think what I'm about to tell you is good news.

We've heard the administration staff of the three Netball New Zealand-owned teams, the Stars, the Magic and the Tactix, have been told their contracts are up at the end of this month and will not be renewed, at least for now, for next year.

This has to call into question whether we're even going to have an ANZ Premiership...

ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own - and they're launching a full investigation.

AI startup Hugging Face said last week that it had detected an intrusion into its data processing systems that it suspected was caused by an AI agent acting on its own. 

Auckland University AI expert Dr Kerry McInerny says AI has been used to hack companies in the past, but this i...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 22 July, 2026, netball's ANZ Premiership is thrown into more doubt. We talk to Stars general manager Jane Bennett about staff contracts ending in a matter of days.

Post Primary Teachers Association president Chris Abercrombie explains why barely half of students are passing NCEA numeracy tests.

Napier MP Katie Nimon responds to accusations by New Zealand First r...

National MP Katie Nimon says she'd hate women being put off becoming a politician if parents weren't welcome in Parliament. 

NZ First Napier candidate Stuart Nash sent a text calling opponent Nimon one of the laziest MPs he'd come across, and claimed she'd taken nine months off on full pay.

Nimon went on Parliamentary leave last year, days before giving birth.

She says she took 10 weeks off, then returned to electorate work, a...

A new trend has emerged, where people are ordering fake takeaways and filling online shopping carts knowing they'll never receive a thing. 

This viral trend is gaining popularity, with one platform, FoodNeverComes, claiming nearly 1 million 'cravings satisfied' to date.

Queensland University of Technology, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, says this gives consumers a version of the online shopping experience in or...

Retail NZ says it's clearly illegal for retailers to sell meth pipes and bongs.

The Post reports an Auckland businessman claims an officer told him it was perfectly legal when he reported a new store selling them.

Health Minister Simeon Brown says the sales are already illegal - and he wants police to do more on enforcement.

Retail NZ Chief Executive Carolyn Young says anyone selling drug paraphernalia should remove it.

"So under t...

The body blows keep coming for netball's ANZ Premiership as the uncertainty rolls on over what shape, if any, the competition will take next year.

Administration staff at the three Netball New Zealand run franchises - the Stars, the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Magic and the Mainland Tactix - have been told their contracts will not be renewed at this stage.

Stars general manager Jane Bennett says she received that message and says usually...

Stuart Nash has blasted National MP Katie Nimon, claiming she took nine months leave after giving birth - and is the 'laziest MP' he's ever come across.

Nash made the claim in a text to former MP Chris Finlayson, who shared it on his podcast. 

Nimon, who's facing Nash in the Napier electorate this election, says she only took six months away from Parliament, and continued working full time in her electorate. 

Newstalk ZB ...

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday imposed 50 percent tariffs on most Canadian goods, and concerns have been raised about the economic implications.

The new tariffs would exclude energy products, potash, fish and critical minerals, but would cover goods that had previously been protected from import taxes by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Canadian officials haven't said much, but t...

The secondary teachers' union isn't alarmed by a drop in students passing a key NCEA numeracy assessment.

Just over half passed the compulsory NCEA maths co-requisite assessment in May, more than five percent down on last year.

Pass rates changed little for reading and writing.

PPTA President Chris Abercrombie says the numeracy assessment tests maths in real-world contexts, rather than straightforward calculations.

"So you need a h...

Rhythm and Vines festival has announced 2026 will be their final year in Gisborne after 24-years in the region. 

The new location is yet to be revealed.

CEO Kieran Spillane told Andrew Dickens they want to make this years R&V 'the biggest and the best' so far.

"We really want to go out with a bang and say a huge thank you to the wonderful people of Gisborne who have helped, and supported this festival over the years."

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The Consumers Price Index (CPI) has increased 4.1% in the 12 months to the June 2026 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

As expected, the increase can be partially contributed to the US-Iran war as the largest upwards contributor to the annual inflation rate was petrol, up 27.5%.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is labelling annual inflation hitting its highest level in more than two years a “Trump spike&r...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast with Andrew Dickens for Tuesday, 21 July, 2026, former Reserve Bank senior economist Michael Reddell on what a higher inflation rate of 4.1% could mean for interest rates.

Rhythm and Vines is about to bow out of Gisborne. We find out why with chief executive Kieran Spillane.

Ponsonby News editor Martin Leach is baffled by a threat he's received from the Auckland mayor.

And on ...

President Donald Trump on Monday announced sweeping tariffs against Canada, including 50% on electrical equipment and machinery which are among the steepest tariffs his administration has levied against any country.

Director of international policy at the New North America Institute, University of Calgary, Carlo Dade said they are concerned that pushing back against the tariffs would result in consequences.

"We've largely accepted ...

Local newspaper Ponsonby News received a threatening email from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown earlier this month after publishing an opinion piece by councillor Mike Lee.

In the email, sent on July 3, Brown said, “if you are just going to publish Mike Lee bagging me then your paper will die”.

"You know, I've been publishing and editing magazines since 1990, and I've never ever had an email like that," Leach told Andrew Dic...