Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Prime Minister says voters shouldn't expect any big election promises this year, as the Government looks to keep the books in order.

Chris Luxon's given his State of the Nation speech in Auckland before 600 business leaders.

Luxon declared the economic recovery is here, and pointed to Kiwisaver, RMA and education reforms as this year's policy planks.

NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says the Government's dialled back ...

Scott Robertson's axing as All Blacks coach has prompted speculation about who will replace him in the top job.

Robertson was relieved of his duties two years into a four-year contract, following a scathing review that found multiple frailties within the team and reports of player unrest.

Sportstalk host Jason Pine weighed in on what we know so far, and addressed the rumours that Jamie Joseph  could replace Razor.

LISTEN ABOVE

...

There's hopes the Government will slap a two-year ban on collecting shellfish and marine life from rockpools on Auckland's Whangaparāoa Peninsula. 

Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says he's seeking advice on protecting the area. 

Protect Whangaparāoa Rockpools founder, Mark Lenton, says there's been an increase in people removing sea life from the area over the last couple of years.

"As a long-term local of this...

First of all, can I start by offering an apology to TVNZ? I gave them a bit of grief last night for starting the news bulletin with the peaches, but it turns out I was wrong and they were right.

This has sparked a flurry of debate over whether we prefer our Wattie's peaches from Hawke's Bay or whether we don't really care if it comes from China or not. 

It's also prompted a statement from Wattie's asking us to support loc...

Let's talk about this business with the pension age.

Chris Luxon has said twice today that he wants the pension age to go up to 67.

He said it once on Kerre’s show this morning, and then at a post-Budget lunch speaking to business leaders, he repeated it and he told them that this is basically going to be election policy for National next year.

Now, regardless of how you may feel about this, I mean, you'd have to be coming around t...

'Rotten, corrupt': Tiki Taane takes aim at Spotify as Kiwi artists boycott platform

Many of New Zealand's biggest musicians are boycotting Spotify and ditching the platform amid accusations of exploitation.

Tiki Taane and The Bats are among the big names getting behind Boycott Spotify NZ and other Kiwi bands like Carb on Carb, Synthetic Children and Recitals have signed the statement calling for better treatment. 

Taa...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

There's growing calls to scrap NCEA - and the Government is looking to make some changes to the qualification. What do we make of this?

Coldplay's Chris Martin is now warning adulterers to disentangle before the kiss cam comes on. What do we think of this saga? Shoul...

France has sentenced a doctor to death after he poisoned 30 patients, killing 12.

The EU has agreed to provide Ukraine more money after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged leaders to use frozen Russian assets to fund Kyiv.

But, the money may not be enough.

"Bit by bit it's getting worse and worse for Ukraine, no matter what support they've got," Gavin Grey told Andrew Dickens.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

The government has approved OceanaGold’s Waihi North mining project, extending gold and silver extraction in the Waihi area until 2043, delighting the pro-mining crowd.

It's a decision I agree with.

Waihi has already been extensively mined and the environment beaten up.

The decision will keep the town alive and provide hundreds of jobs. But make no mistake, this will not be an El Dorado for the whole country.

The royalties are stil...

Kiwibank has scrapped it's plans for partial privatisation after the Reserve Bank announced it's reduction of the amount of capital it requires banks to hold to protect their depositors in the event of a crisis.

The bank had been talking to investors, seeking a $500 million capital raise after the Government gave it the green light to raise money to become more competitive. 

Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich talked to Andrew Dicken...

US Correspondent Jonathan Kearsley joined Andrew Dickens to chat about the latest news out of America. 

The alleged Brown University shooter, who killed two and injured more, was found dead.

The House Oversight Committee Democrats released 68 more photos from Epstein's estate, including images of Bill Gates, Steve Bannon and Noam Chomsky.

And, TikTok has agreed to a deal which will end the threat of a US ban. 

LISTEN ABOV...

Parliament’s youngest MP, Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke of Te Pāti Māori, has teased a coming Waitangi Day announcement with an Instagram post to her 271K Instagram followers. 

The post alluded to a collaboration between herself and Green MP Tamatha Paul.

And, as election year approaches questions of Winston Peter's political alliance come to the forefront. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

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

Consumers are being warned of a price hike for technology like phones and computers due to the rise of AI creating a shortage of computer chips. 

The cost for parts like RAMs have also sky rocketed with some products already costing double, or triple, what they did a year ago. 

"There's only so much production capability on the planet, and what we're seeing is where these chips are fabricated, they are diverting their pro...

UK teachers will be given training to spot the early signs of misogyny in boys in order to address concerns about online radicalisation.

The Government is looking to clamp down on violence against women and girls, and there's hope that addressing the early roots will slow down the problem.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says violence against women is on the rise, and the release of Netflix's Adolescence earlier this year sparked a dis...