Larry Williams Drive

A Wellington Council member is warning residents to stay vigilant after reports of falling street lights. Richard McLean says at least ten lamps have fallen out of their posts onto the street in the capital across the last two years. He says if a pedestrian were to be hit, it could be fatal and says people need to be extra careful. He says if anyone sees an insecure lamp flapping around in the wind, -- they should urgently call the Council to fix it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ed Sheeran fans left fuming after their seats are changed days before the concert. Danielle Bardell told Heather du Plessis-Allan that she was put up in the 'nosebleeds' - and although assured by Eden Park she's quite lucky, she disagrees. Eden Park's Nick Sautner says he's disappointed this isolated incident has marred the positivity rising out of this weekend's concert. He assures there's no bad seat in the house. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskky has urged the UK to supply the region with fighter jets. Zelenskky is visiting the UK for the first time since Russia invaded and expressed gratitude for the equipment received so far, but warns supplies are running low. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said "nothing is off the table" for Zelenskky and the Ukrainian forces.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says Volodymyr Zelenskky is a passionate speaker and it's likely that he will receive fighter jets from the UK, but he may have to wait. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nitrogen may be the solution to the growing CO2 shortage hitting New Zealand. Breweries have been impacted by the CO2 shortage and it will likely impact the price of beer later down the line. Shape Energy operations manager Neil Beeslaar says nitrogen may be the best replacement for CO2 in manufacturing. Neil Beeslaar says nitrogen is a good alternative because it's sustainable, easier to find, and requires less effort to produce than CO2. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Agricultural contractors in the Bay of Plenty say 60 percent of maize crops have been wiped out by the weather. The region is reporting the worst harvest figures in decades following the burst of rain and floods. Kiwifruit farms and orchards have also been damaged by the floods, and farmers are concerned about the upcoming harvest season. The Country's Jamie Makay says farmers have been doing it tough over the last few weeks and things don't look to be improving with Cyclone Gabrielle due to hit. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BP, Chevron, Shell, ExxonMobil, and Total Energies all earned $219 billion in 2022. All these major oil companies benefited from the surge in oil and gas prices that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This marks a turnaround for the oil and gas industry, as they suffered profit losses in 2020/2021 following a reduced demand for energy during the Covid-19 pandemic. Liam Dann, NZ Herald business editor at large says this is good news for the investors, but bad news for the future of renewable energy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Huddle, Nick Leggett, Chief Executive of Transporting NZ and Neale Jones from PR firm Capital joined in on a discussion about the following topics:  There has been a 30 percent uptick in truck and bus drivers having micro-sleeps at the wheel, according to Autosense data. This is concerning- what do we think?  What do we think of the Talbot Mills poll showing National is ahead of Labour? What will this mean for Chris Hipkins' chances at the election?  The minimum wage hike will get workers $726 per week, but teachers on the first pay step with a student loan will get $739 per week. Where's the motivation to be a teacher/ nurse?  NZ Super has had to justify giving out $16 million in bonuses at the end of 2022, do these workers deserve this? LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is an increase in Auckland truck and bus drivers briefly falling asleep while driving. Autosense has installed 4600 camera units in commercial vehicles to track how widespread this problem is. The company has observed a 30 percent increase in drivers having micro-sleeps that last around 1.5 seconds. Autosense chief executive Charles Dawson says they've tracked 150 micro-sleep events per day with this technology. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NZ Super Fund paid out $16.2m in bonuses to staff at the end of 2022. The amount paid in bonuses increased by 50 percent, with four staff members receiving between $355,000 and $560,000. The NZ Super Fund was forced to justify this to Parliament's Finance and Expenditure select committee, including National's Simon Watts. Simon Watts says that paying an extra $500,000 to highly paid public servants is unjustifiable during a cost of living crisis. "When New Zealand Super Fund exists to deliver outcomes for the New Zealand public, they should absolutely act in line with community expectations regarding remuneration, regardless of the level of independence from Government." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tech commentator says Kiwis will be furious Netflix is giving account-sharing the boot. The company says every account will need one primary location and users will have to regularly log in at that location. Bill Bennett says the move's already faced a backlash on social media and subscribers will delete their accounts when these changes kick in He says in the past, the company encouraged account sharing when they started out. Netflix claims the change will allow for investments in new projects. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hamiltonians are being warned to avoid the city centre tomorrow, with speculation swirling online about a potential mass brawl. Mayor Paula Southgate says she understands it's planned at the city's transport centre and could pit communities against each another. There's also online chatter that weapons could be brought along. Southgate says this appears to be a legitimate threat and has advised the police to plan for some level of violent behaviour. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brad Olsen was on the show late in the Business Hour yesterday arguing the Government had to hike the minimum wage by a full $1.50 yesterday. Because it had to be in line with the annual inflation rate. If you look at the minimum wage in the isolation of one year, yes that’s an easy trap to fall into. But you have to look at the minimum wage over the duration of the last six years of this Government.  It has gone from $15.75 to $22.70. That’s a $7 increase in six years. That’s 44 percent.  Hands up, who else got a 44 percent pay rise in the last six years? A study by Motu Research a couple of years ago found most of the workers on the minimum wage are teenagers, who are more likely to live at home with their parents rather than be household breadwinners.  So it’s hard to argue that those kids, who have already been given a hefty pay bump over the last few years actually need to be kept in line with inflation. Because, arguably they’re already ahead of inflation. They now have more in the hand at the end of a

Unions are relieved about Chris Hipkins' announced increase to the minimum wage. The Prime Minister announced that minimum wage would increase by a further 7 percent on April 1st to $22.70. E Tu Assistant National Secretary Annie Newman says that many Kiwi businesses already pay their staff an accredited living wage, which is close to the increased minimum wage already. Annie Newman says that an increased minimum wage doesn't have an impact on unemployment, and the flow-on effects for consumers will be minimal. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest corporate poll from Talbot Mills shows National is ahead of Labour by three points. The poll had Labour at 33 percent, behind National which was on 36 percent. However, the poll shows that Labour had the numbers to form a Government with Te Pāti Māori’s backing. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says these numbers are consistent with the recent polls run by TVNZ and TV3. Soper says that both parties should be worried about the even split between people who agree and disagree with how the country is faring. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Government says it will remove installed Chinese-made security devices amid security concerns. This comes after an audit discovered hundreds of cameras, intercoms, and video recorders manufactured by China were placed on defence sites. Defence Minister Richard Marles says the Government will remove these devices, as they pose a security threat. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says these devices were manufactured by companies linked to the Chinese Government and that Australia has no way of knowing where the data they collect is sent. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dane Coles is the latest All Black to announce plans to step down from the team. Coles has confirmed he will retire from the sport of rugby at the end of the 2023 season.  This will conclude a 17 year career representing Wellington, the Hurricanes, Māori All Blacks and the All Blacks. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says Dane Coles had a fantastic career playing for all these teams, but new blood will be good for the All Blacks in the coming years. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns about Wellington City Council's spending plans. Mayor Tory Whanau's penned an editorial claiming one of her top priorities is helping the capital's creative sector. The council is expecting to hike rates up 12.8 percent this year. Councillor Ray Chung says it seems the council feels no hesitation about spending money. He says companies and people all run on budgets, but councils and Government never do. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The death toll in Monday's Syria-Turkey earthquake has risen further two days after the fact. The combined death toll has surpassed 8000, making it the deadliest earthquake in over a decade. UK correspondent Kay Oliver says rescue teams are still pulling survivors out of tangled metal and concrete and over 600 thousand buildings have collapsed. Kay Oliver says that King Charles has also sent messages of supported to the affected regions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has announced the minimum wage will go up by $1.50 in April. This will bring the minimum wage up to $22.70 in order to keep in line with inflation. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says that the the Government had to hike up minimum wage in order to keep up with inflation. Brad Olsen explains that while businesses aren't pleased, the minimum wage increase is slightly below average wage increases, and that people on the lowest incomes will need extra help. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Global inflation appears to have peaked and may start heading down in the coming months. Central banks across the world are also predicted to slow down their rate hikes soon. Milford Asset Management's Mark Riggall says that 2022 was focused around addressing excessive global inflation and the share-markets will have an easier time ahead.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.