Larry Williams Drive

Today on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Jack Tame, host of ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following topics: Floodwaters from Cyclone Gabrielle have spread leftover forestry slash around farms across Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, causing more property damage. Do we need to change the laws around forestry slash, especially since natural disasters may become more common? Are the defenders of co-governance too late to get widespread approval after all the debates? Tea and scones may be off the menu in Parliament as inflation eats into their budget. Parliament is looking to cut costs in several services they provide- what else could they get rid of? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tairawhiti is again being choked by forestry debris. The off-cuts of trees left behind by loggers have been picked up by Cyclone Gabrielle's floodwaters, causing widespread damage. Just last month Cyclone Hale also dumped slash all over Gisborne's farms, beaches and waterways much to the frustration of residents. The Emergency Management Minister is now promising the Government will investigate the slash problem. Forest Owners Association spokesperson Don Carson says the industry is chasing its tail. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Princess Anne arrived in Wellington this morning and has sent messages of support to the victims of Cyclone Gabrielle. The royal toured Wellington's NCMC bunker this morning, which has been operating since the Auckland floods and is the current central coordination centre for Cyclone Gabrielle. Princess Anne is expected to visit the Pukeahu Hall of Memories in Wellington with her husband to lay a wreath and pay her respects. Newstalk ZB's Azaria Howell has been out and about with Anne and says a 'small and devoted' crowd of 30 gathered to cheer her on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ASB is reporting a 10 percent increase in half year profits for the six months to December 2022. The latest half-year financial report states that the bank has made an $840 million net profit. CEO Vittoria Shortt acknowledged that ASB's increase in earnings came at a challenging time for Kiwi households, thanks to rising interest rates and the increased cost of living. Vittoria Shortt says this recent profit increase was driven by an increase in lending across both their business and personal customers, and that they've proceeded more deposits this period. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wairoa is in desperate need of supplies. The isolated Hawke's Bay town has been cut off by washed out roads and bridges, and has major power and communications outages. Hundreds of people had to evacuate and now food, water and fuel supplies are getting low. Joint Forces New Zealand Rear Admiral Jim Gilmore says the situation there is dire and they're assigning crews to help. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump's former Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley has announced she's running for President. She is the second Republican candidate to announce a Presidential run, with her former boss launching a bid to run in November 2022. US Correspondent Mitch McCann says Donald Trump is ahead of Nikki Haley, according to a poll run by Reuters. Mitch McCann says Donald Trump has a bigger base that still supports him, and those fans aren't likely to gravitate to Nikki Haley. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wallabies coach Eddie Jones says the search for an All Blacks coach is a "great debate", but still remains focused on coaching his own team. Eddie Jones has praised both Ian Foster and Scott Robertson, the two leading candidates, but hasn't endorsed either one. Jones will be speaking to D'Arcy Waldegrave on Sportstalk tonight, but until then, D'Arcy joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to tease the impending interview. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A leading law professor is warning a video of a Christchurch pilot being held hostage escalates the situation. Phillip Mehrtens is seen surrounded by a number of the separatists holding rifles a week after being kidnapped in Indonesia-controlled Papua. He appears unharmed but says they will keep him captive, unless the Indonesian military goes home. Waikato University Law professor Al Gillespie says the group has made a mistake by taking a hostage. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is a hard time to be a farmer in the North Island, this week especially.  Yes, the cyclone has affected a lot of people, not just farmers, in some cases devastatingly. But the farming community have got to be among the worst affected. I really don’t mean to minimise this cyclone for anyone else, but farmers are isolated. They will probably be the last to have their power reconnected, the last to have their bridges fixed to get the milk tankers in; they’ll be the last ones in to the supermarket in town. And they’ll be the last ones to have someone turn up at the door and ask if they’re ok  And when most others affected have replaced the roof and dried the carpet, farmers will still be shifting forestry debris off their land, they will still  be counting the loss of dumped milk, spoiled kumara, damaged avos, wiped out maize crops, and lost apples for months, if not years. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for them, after everything they’ve been through. In case you’ve forgotten, they had Covid shutting

Queen Consort Camilla has tested positive for Covid-19 for a second time. The royal was forced to pull out of several scheduled royal engagements following the announcement. Her conditions was previously described as a 'seasonal illness'. UK Correspondent Enda Brady says a statement from Buckingham Palace confirms Camilla is in 'good spirits' as she recovers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has returned from her surprise diplomatic trip to India. Nanaia Mahuta left in order to strengthen the relationship between both nations and promote New Zealand's education, trade, and tourism interests to a new audience. BusinessDesk senior correspondent Dileepa Fonseka says this long visit was a clever move on Mahuta's part, as this will likely deepen the relationship beyond negotiating trade agreements. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Farmers are reporting that their crops, livestock, and livelihoods are suffering as Cyclone Gabrielle tears through the North Island. Cyclone Gabrielle's severe wind and rain has disrupted daily tasks, damaged crops, and knocked out power, forcing farmers to relay on generators. The Country's Jamie Mackay says dairy farmers are being hit hard, as the drawn-out power cuts prevent them from milking their cows. Jamie Mackay suspects that gallons of milk will have to be dumped, as farmers won't be able to get their stock to distributors.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transpower has advised it has been able to restore power to parts of Hawkes Bay and Gisborne following outages caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. Much of the North Island has reported power outages this morning, and full restoration is set to take a long time. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says we won't know until tomorrow if Transpower can fully restore power to the affected regions. Pattrick Smellie says over 200,000 thousand people are currently living without electricity thanks to Cyclone Gabrielle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament has agreed to adjourn for the rest of the week following Cyclone Gabrielle. Today was set to be Parliament's first sitting day of the new year-  but several key members thought it would be better to help communities during the national emergency. The only party to oppose this motion was Act, who felt they couldn't suspend democracy because of the weather. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says that Barry Soper made the right decision to get out on the ground, as that helped boost his predecessor's popularity. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's edition of The Huddle, ZB host Tim Beveridge and Cas Carter from Cas Carter communications joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Will Cyclone Gabrielle be the climate crisis that spurs real action? Will this be the year that councils and individuals start preparing for climate change? Should Parliament have adjourned today? Could MP's make more of an impact by helping their communities with the cyclone damage? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cyclone Gabrielle has left the Coromandel completely isolated, and townships in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay are closed off. All major arterial roads in the Coromandel are closed, leaving the region cut off from the rest of the country and floding and slips have blocked off several roads in the upper North Island. Waka Kotahi contractors have been working flat out to clear the slips to open up the roads and restore access to communities.  Waka Kotahi National Emergency Response Team spokesperson Mark Owen says the focus is to open up the busiest coastal roads, with State Highway 25 being a key priority. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thousand of cell phone and internet users across the North Island have lost access, thanks to Cyclone Gabrielle. Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, and the Coromandel have been hit hard by a lack of reception, with Hawke's Bay experiencing a severe outage. Telecommunications Forum CEO Paul Brislen says Cyclone Gabrielle has really impacted phone networks. Paul Brislen explained that the cellphone towers and landlines themselves have been unaffected by the cyclone, but lack of power stops these outlets from running properly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last couple of days, I have read versions the same headline over and over again:  Will this be the climate crisis event that spurs action?  Do you know what? I think it might be.  I think for a lot of people, this might be the summer that really drives home the fact that climate change is coming for you. I mean, there are parts of the North Island that have never experienced anything like we’ve seen this summer. Auckland- An unexpected rain event that leads to crazy flooding, in some cases up to the second storey of houses in just a matter of hours, followed by another bout of wet weather about three days later and followed by a tropical cyclone another two weeks later. Coromandel- About four different storms in six weeks, a cyclone like some have never seen and a road lost, maybe permanently. Gisborne- Small communities were cut off in Cyclone Hale and a month later, big towns were cut off with no communication. So yeah, for a lot of people, I reckon this will be the final piece they need to convince

Several new rule changes designed to speed up games will be trialled in Super Rugby Pacific. Referees will enforce time limits on conversions, penalty kicks, scrums, and rucks. Television Match Officials will also now only interrupt play for clear and obvious incidents of foul play. Former All Black Ant Strachan says these rule changes will speed matches up, as time limits will cut down on delays. Ant Strachan says these time limits will be easy to police and it makes sense to introduce them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food prices are still rising, while house prices continue to fall. The latest Food Price Index data has shown a 10.3 percent increase compared to this time last year, up by 1.7 percent on last month. QV figures show home values reduced nationally an average 1.1 percent last month. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner says food hasn't gone up as much as expected, but the recent problems surrounding food production may change that. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.