Larry Williams Drive

Grant Robertson hopes to get to Australia for talks this week if he recovers from Covid-19.The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister is expected to join Jacinda Ardern in Australia on Thursday.Robertson told Heather du Plessis-Allan he'll meet with his finance counterpart Jim Chalmers.“Start to get into a bit more detail about how we take forward what’s called the single economic market, which is one of the projects that been underway for many, many years between Australia and New Zealand.”Robertson will also attend the Australia New Zealand leadership forum.He says he wants to focus on how the countries can better coordinate infrastructure projects at the forum.He says they need to make sure projects are sequenced as much as possible so specialist workforce is available and the countries aren't working against each other or pushing up prices.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I feel sorry for hospitality especially, and business in general in New Zealand at the moment.You heard what Michael Wood said. Does that sound like a minister who wants to help businesses? No.These guys in government are not all dumb. They know that the lack of workers in this country will cause businesses to close.If you can’t find a chef, you can’t sell food, and you can’t pay your bills. That’s you done.They know that. But they’re not going to help.It feels like they actually believe business owners and bosses are bad guys. They’re so steeped in union ideology they seem to believe that bosses are constantly screwing workers instead of understanding or caring that you need bosses to have jobs for workers.And the reason I think that is that this is not the first comment from a Labour government minister basically suggesting they don’t give a toss about businesses.Remember Iain Lees-Galloway?  He got in trouble for saying back in 2018 that “if a small change to the minimum wage is going to be that detrimenta

Michael Wood will not apologise for his comments about the hospitality and tourism industry.He has accepted some concerns the sector has raised over foreign worker shortages but says businesses should be considering how to make low-wage jobs with insecure working conditions more attractive places to work.A Qantas flight to Wellington was forced to divert to Christchurch because of the city's overnight curfew.Passengers were forced to spend the night in the terminal and were given $15 food vouchers.A woman had to save her mother's life in Middlemore Hospital after she was put into palliative care.She says her mother is lucky to be alive, but blames the situation on an overstretched health system.Hairy MacLary author Lynley Dodd has hit back at accusations the book is outdated and lacks diversity.It comes as a study from Perth has suggested that Hairy MacLary is one of several children's books that "perpetuate outdated stereotypes".Ali Jones and Nick Leggett joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on The HuddleSee omny

The Maori Council are distancing themselves from Matthew Tukaki.They say that back in 2019 and 2020, some of their members expressed their concern with the way that he represented the organisation.It comes after 1 News says that his CV wasn't checked before he was appointed to a key Government role with Oranga Tamariki.Maori Council National Secretary Peter Fraser joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A call for the Government to tighten up on rules on free-range defecation.The Responsible Camping Association wants changes to a law that allows people to poo in public if they think they're not being watched.Spokesperson Bob Osborne told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's a defence to avoid being prosecuted for defecating in public.“Actually, people seeing others actually doing that is not the problem. The problem is the visual aftermath of it.”The association wants to ensure waste is buried properly and at least 50 metres from the nearest waterway.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qantas passengers who flew from Sydney to Wellington last night were diverted to Christchurch at the last minute.This was due to Wellington Airport's curfew, where international flights can't land between 1am and 6am.The passengers were left to spend the night in the Christchurch Airport terminal and were given a $15 food voucher.Mike, one of the passengers, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Immigration Minister is sticking by comments he made about the hospitality and tourism sectors.Michael Wood says businesses with low wages need to raise them to attract more workers here.He's been blasted by opposition parties, with ACT’s Chris Baillie labelling his remarks an attack on business.But Wood told Heather du Plessis Allan there's no need to apologise.“I’ve talked to some workers from that sector whose experience sometimes is a really poor one. I think this is a really strong sector, there is work to do to make sure that paying conditions are improved.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three Labour MPs have joined their peers in testing positive for Covid-19.Grant Robertson, Nanaia Mahuta and Andrew Little are the latest victims, leaving only 4 members of Cabinet yet to get the virus, including Covid-19 Minister Ayesha Verrall.For Mahuta, it means she won't be attending the Pacific Islands Forum later this week.Jacinda Ardern is back in Australia.She will spend the first leg attending business meetings and events, while the second leg will see her meet with Albanese, along with Immigration Minister Michael Wood meeting with Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil.Newstalk ZB Deputy Political Editor Jason Walls joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Authorities have pleaded with residents to cancel holidays and avoid floodwaters, as parts of NSW and the Illawarra continue to be inundated with rescue requests.In a press conference on Monday morning, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said that a massive 71 evacuation orders and 64 evacuation warnings were in place, with 83 flood rescues and 1593 requests for assistance lodged since 9pm Sunday. While flood waters have peaked, or are close to peaking in Menangle, and North Richmond, the situation is expected to worsen for the Windsor and the Lower Portland areas. Major flooding has been predicted to hit on Monday afternoon, before it moves downstream to Sackville and Wisemans Ferry.Mr Perrottet also issued a stern warning for affected residents to abide by instructions and in particular, to strictly avoid driving into flood waters.“If there is an evacuation warning in place, please get ready to evacuate. If there is an evacuation order in place, please leave immediately,” he said.“These instructions, warnings, o

Andrew Little thinks the hospital system is coping, but is it?Roshni Bhola is lucky to be alive after being sent to palliative care at Middlemore Hospital essentially to die.Roshni survived, but her daughters say this all happened because an overstretched health system meant she wasn't properly cared for.One of Roshni's daughters Roma Pinkham joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ian Foster's job as All Black's coach might be safe - for now.The All Blacks put in a strong performance in their 42-19 victory over Ireland on Saturday, and while it wasn't the perfect performance, it was enough to silence the critics for the weekend.It was the perfect homecoming for the Warriors.The struggling side snapped their 7-game losing run with a 22-2 victory over the Wests Tigers in front of a packed Mt Smart.Newstalk ZB sports reader Adam Cooper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well, that’s a rubbish free trade deal.I think we can accept that as fact given pretty much everyone who knows anything about what they’re talking about is unimpressed with it.Meat and dairy have been shafted. There is nothing to celebrate in this for them.Beef exporters are only allowed to provide 0.1 percent of the meat that Europeans eat.Cheese exporters are only allowed to provide 0.14 percent of the cheese they eat.If meat and dairy are not happy, this is a rubbish deal, because these guys are our big hitters in this country. They make up about 40 percent of our exporters between them.Some with skin in the game will be happy with what they’ve got overnight – kiwifruit for example – but fruit only makes up 5 percent of our exports. So for everyone, it’s actually rats and mice.The question actually here is not whether or not this is a good deal, because it isn’t, but whether we should’ve signed it. I don’t think we should’ve.I went to bed last night convinced we weren’t going to sign this deal for all the

A Danish Parliament-appointed commission has harshly criticized the country's government for its decision to cull millions of healthy mink at the height of the coronavirus pandemic to protect humans from a mutation of the virus.The 2020 decision to wipe out Denmark's entire captive mink population had stirred strong controversy, particularly as the necessary legislation to allow such a drastic move was put in place more than a month after the cull had started.In its report released Thursday, the commission said Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was “grossly misleading” during a Nov. 4 press conference when she announced that all mink — infected and healthy animals alike — should be culled. The report also criticized other top Danish officials.The culling of up to 17 million animals was ordered after a mutated version of the coronavirus was found in farms in northern Denmark and infected 11 people. Although there was no evidence that the mutated version was more dangerous, the government said it moved proactive

Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived Thursday in Hong Kong to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the British handover of a city that his rule has transformed from a global hub known for its political freedoms to one that is much more tightly controlled by the Communist Party.In a staged event carried live on Chinese TV, students and others lined the platform of a high-speed rail station and packed a red carpet to greet the leader making his first trip outside of mainland China in nearly 2 ½ years — a choice that underscored Hong Kong's ever-closer ties to the mainland. Waving small red Chinese and Hong Kong flags, the students chanted “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!” while city leader Carrie Lam greeted Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan.Under Xi's leadership, China has reshaped Hong Kong, cracking down on protests, imposing a strict national security law used to silence dissent, introducing a more "patriotic" curriculum in schools, and revamping election laws to keep opposition politicians out of the city’s Legislatu

New Zealand and the EU has signed a free trade agreement.The Government say this will grow exports to the EU by $1.8 billion a year by 2035.However, meat and dairy aren't happy with it, given how much they are allowed to provide Europe from their respective sectors.Business commentator Rod Oram joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank has said the tide has turned against housing being a one-way bet for investment.And once again, the central bank is also predicting a drop in house prices.This time, they're predicting a drop of around 15 percent.Housing commentator Ashley Church joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks' first test of the year takes place this weekend against Ireland.The team will be without Will Jordan, David Havili, Joe Moody, Anton Lienert-Brown, Akira Ioane and Ethan Blackadder to Covid, with Scott Barrett forced to play at No 6 this weekend.The Irish have won the last 3 out of 5 tests, but the All Blacks remain unbeaten at Eden Park for 28 years.The Warriors are making their long-awaited homecoming.After over 1000 days, the team return to Mt Smart to face the Tigers, but without Reece Walsh due to Covid.The White Ferns have had to bring back Lea Tahuhu.Tahuhu and Claudia Green will join the squad for the Commonwealth Games after Lauren Down and Jess Kerr were ruled out with injury and mental health.Scotty Stevenson and Matt Brown joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the week's sports newsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks play Ireland at Eden Park on Saturday in their first test of the year.Recent results favour the Irish with 3 wins out of the last 5 against the All Blacks, but Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks in New Zealand.To make it even harder for the Irish, the All Blacks still haven't lost at Eden Park since 1994.Irish rugby commentator Michael Corcoran joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countdown has decided to start phasing out single-use plastic produce bags.They're the bags used to pick up fruit and vegetables in the produce section in supermarkets.They'll start this process by trialling in a selection of stores.Countdown spokesperson Pieter de Wet joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOUTSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business leaders say it's fair for the dairy and meat sectors to be disappointed in the new free trade agreement.It's been struck between the EU and New Zealand, but dairy and meat will still face tariffs and much lower quotas than they hoped for.NZ International Business Forum's Stephen Jacobi told Heather du Plessis-Allan the EU simply isn't willing to open its market to those sectors but a call needs to be made whether the deal's enough.“And really, you’d have to be on the ground to work out whether they’ve made the right call or not, but however you look at it, it’s certainly not very good for our dairy and meat sectors.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.