Larry Williams Drive

The Black Caps went up against Sri Lanka in their fist test match. This match gave the Black Caps an opportunity to win their first test series since 2021 - having drawn the previous three tours by Bangladesh, South Africa and England. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Waikato Regional Council wants permission to release a new fruit fly as a biological control agent. The fruit fly would be used to stop the spread of moth plant, a climbing vine considered a significant threat to biodiversity and conservation efforts.  The Environmental Protection Authority's Miriam Robertson says a public consultation about this decision will enable experts to determine the risks and rewards of releasing a new organism for pest-control purposes. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi software accounting firm Xero has announced plans to cut up to 800 jobs to improve profits. Xero stated that these mass layoffs were needed to enable Xero's next phase of growth. Jarden's Director of Equity Research Elise Kennedy says this decision may be more than simple recession-proofing, as Xero needed to find new ways to grow. "Xero actually stood out against its tech global peers with not having taken cuts to heads. So I don't think it's necessarily just got to do with the environment that's going on." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers estimates the costs to farmers from Cyclone Gabrielle could begin at $1 billion. This estimate covers income disruption, infrastructure repair and crop or orchard restoration bills. The overall costs to the nation in terms of public infrastructure, food shortages and inflation will bring this total up much higher. The Country's Jamie Mackay says it's likely that these repair costs will exceed that $1 billion dollar estimate, when factoring in the costs of all these resources. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Higher interest rates haven't stopped Kiwi shoppers from spending up a storm. Retail spending has remained steady at $6.6 billion in February 2023, when compared with Stats NZ data from January. The Reserve Bank is looking for signs that demand is easing in the economy, but this data indicates this is yet to happen. NZ Herald business editor Liam Dann says the current spending rates are a mystery to economists and central bankers. Liam Dann says this may be sign that the previous solutions to treating inflation may no longer be as effective. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National has launched their latest build-to-rent strategy to address the housing crisis. Housing spokesperson Chris Bishop expects that build-to-rent developments will take the pressure off when it comes to housing Kiwis. Property Council CEO Leonie Freeman explained that build-to-rent refers to large scale housing owned by one owner to provide long-term renting. Leonie Freeman says National's strategy will create greater certainty around overseas investment. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour is leading in the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll for the first time since March 2022. The results are close, with Labour reaching 35.5 percent and National on 34.8 per cent. With ACT's support, National would be in Government, according to the poll. The Greens are close to the 5 percent threshold, having fallen 2.1 points to 5.7 percent. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says that Chris Hipkins has been boosted by extra exposure from Cyclone Gabrielle.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than a dozen students have fallen ill after being fed raw chicken at Kaitaia College yesterday. School lunch provider Bells Produce has been stood down while authorities investigate. The Education Ministry says the school's principal acted immediately by contacting the local hospital and collecting food samples for testing. Principal Louise Anaru says three children had to be taken for medical attention yesterday after suffering stomach cramps. "We phoned all of the parents of any children who were absent today, another 14 students had food poisoning symptoms."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Whatu Ora's Chief Executive has fronted up over a website data botch up. The agency has today apologised after posting the wrong information, falsely recording near-perfect wait time figures for some areas in November and December. The department maintains the underlying data collection is robust and the mistake was made during the publication process. Chief Executive Margie Apa says the error was spotted late yesterday afternoon and she was notified this morning. "So the team has been working to unpack what was the problem, which has helped us arrive at this point, where we now know what the problem is." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for ANZ to fully compensate an elderly woman after bank staff handed over personal information to scammers. The victim was tricked into spending nearly $40,000 on gaming vouchers. The country's biggest bank has offered her a $19,000 settlement but refuses to go any higher. Massey University Banking Expert Claire Matthews says it depends on what information was given. "You know, it's nearly 50 percent of the loss, so if they're not fully liable, then it's a reasonable contribution to be making."  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The United Nations has voiced their concerns about the UK's new proposed asylum laws. Yesterday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak outline a new law that would effectively ban anyone who arrived illegally from claiming asylum in the UK. This measure is part of a strategy to crack down on the increase of migrants entering the UK via the Channel crossing, which rose to over 45,000 in 2022. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says UNHCR representative Vicky Tennant says the UK should address this issue with proper controls and a better administered system for migrants. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ben Thomas from Capital NZ and Jack Tame, host of ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day:  The TVNZ/RNZ merger board are still getting paid thousands of dollars a day to meet after the project got shelved- in what world is this ok? Ruth Dyson is under fire after posting negative comments about National on social media. Rob Campbell was let go for doubling down on his remarks, but the Government isn't as worried about Steve Maharey's political takes. What should happen next? Happy International Women's Day- is this a bunch of nonsense? Heather says if businesses cared, they'd do more to support working mothers, what do we think? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of jobs being advertised online continues to grow for another month. New Seek data shows the amount of jobs being advertised nationwide is up by a further 1 percent, following a rise of 2.2 percent in January. The report shows that the average number of applications received per job has declined. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says this doesn't mean the labour market has bounced back, but it's not declining as predicted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The predicted recession may be biting consumers in a matter of months.  Economists have been forecasting a recession to strike the New Zealand economy in 2023, aided by rising interest rates and predictions from the Reserve Bank. Milford Asset Management Portfolio Manager Sam Trethewey predicts the worst of the recession will hit in the back half of this year. Sam Trethewey says many households will roll into higher interest rates and experts will be able to figure out what kind of recession is taking hold by the second half of 2023.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Nicola Willis is weighing in on the ongoing banking profit saga. The opposition's finance spokesperson is suggesting a select committee run a 'short, sharp' inquiry into the increased bank profits. Nicola Willis has proposed this select committee keep the scope of the inquiry focussed, hearing evidence from a narrow group of stakeholders. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says Nicola Willis wants this investigation to be quicker and less resource-intensive than a formal Commerce Commission market study. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of Mount Albert-based activists are blaming a lack of trees for Auckland flood damage.  Honour the Maunga aims to keep the 345 exotic trees in Mount Albert in place while slowly growing native trees around the area.  Honour the Maunga spokesperson Anna Radford says there have been dozens of slips in the region after the Auckland floods hit and they all fell on tree-less areas. Anna Radford says some slips were stopped from growing wider or falling further downhill by the same exotic trees the Tūpuna Maunga Authority wants to remove. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson has stepped up to defend spending $16.1 million on a now-scrapped media merger. National MP Melissa Lee claimed the whole exercise was a waste of money. Jackson said the TVNZ/RNZ merger would future-proof NZ media, and hopes it will go ahead one day when the nation isn't addressing Cyclone Gabrielle and extreme floods. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Willie Jackson's comments are inaccurate, as the merger was scrapped well before Cyclone Gabrielle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Party has come out swinging over the ongoing spending of the scrapped TVNZ/RNZ merger. Broadcasting Minister Willie Jackson says board members have since met for about a day and a half, costing $10,300 dollars. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has defended it, saying he made clear there would be wind-down costs. But the National Party's Broadcasting spokesperson, Melissa Lee says there's no need for further meetings to do a wrap-up report. "The contract should have ended on the day that they cancelled the project. It was established as a board for the Aotearoa New Zealand Public Media and there's nothing to establish, so why do they need to be paid for the work?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are concerns for the future of several Northland big cats after a sanctuary's latest statement. Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary has been placed into involuntary liquidation after facing a tax bill they couldn't pay off. Janette Vallance, Kamo Wildlife Sanctuary director says she wants to make sure that the big cats are taken care of, and she won't let anything happen to them. "To be honest, there's 15 of them. Most zoos would do what most zoos do and tell you that they're too old and what I want to spin here is to be the spot where these sort of cats have a home. That's what we've done and what we will continue doing."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am very happy to report I have manged to avoid participating in anything to do with International Women’s Day all day long. Because it is a sham isn’t it? It’s just an opportunity for a whole bunch of corporates, media, Government departments and other organisations to hold some sort of hui or do a little video, write an opinion piece and tick the box for the year that tells the world they’re nice to women. Yay, good for you, well done. Tell you what, something I’ve realised since becoming a mum is that there is one single most helpful thing that would make a lot of women’s lives easier. Make early childcare free and more accessible. If you’re the Government, fund it like we fund primary and secondary school. If you’re a corporate, think about setting up a creche, even if you charge your female employees to use it. If you’re a media outlet, start giving this coverage. Because this is the single biggest thing holding women back from doing all the things that we complain about on International Women’s Day. Li