Larry Williams Drive

Fears countless children may be trapped under rubble after devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. At least 4300 people have died since the catastrophic 7.8 magnitude quake yesterday. Just over an hour ago, another 5.6 magnitude earthquake rocked Central Turkey in one of more than 130 aftershocks. Well over 5000 buildings have collapsed in Turkey alone. Save the Children's Jacqui Southey says children separated from their families will need help, including shelter in the freezing conditions, warm clothing and medical care. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

501 deportees were on the agenda again today when the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Australia met. Recent changes to the 501 deportation policy mean officials will consider how strongly a Kiwi criminal is linked to Australia before deporting them. Sydney Morning Herald Foreign Affairs Correspondent Matthew Knott says Anthony Albanese's Government seems more committed to a common-sense approach. But he says Albanese was incredibly firm when asked if people who had been deported could return - saying absolutely not. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese met with Chris Hipkins on the first overseas trip the new Prime Minister took. The two held a press conference after the meeting and Anthony Albanese stated that he was confident in the new changes made to the 501 policy. Albanese also stated that Australia "retained Section 501, deportation, the capacity to cancel visas and remove people who pose a risk to the community." ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says that Australia's stance on deportations will remain the same, despite the announced changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Breakers successfully advanced to the NBL semi-finals after beating out Brisbane on Saturday night. The final overtime score was 80-75, and the Breakers finished second overall behind the Sydney Kings. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says this is the first time in a long time that the Breakers have made it this far in the playoffs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian Reserve Bank has hiked the official cash rate to 3.35 percent to tame inflation. This is the ninth consecutive rate hike, and the Reserve Bank is indicating there may be further increases to come. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says inflation rose by 48 percent over the Christmas season, which is well above the RBA's target. Murray Olds says Reserve Bank needed to lift the OCR by 25 basis points to avoid a potential price-wages spiral. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I don’t think any of us should be getting excited about the possibility that Australia’s developed a conscience about deporting violent criminal 501s our way. That’s obviously not happened. The clue was in the first thing that came out of Anthony Albanese’s mouth today on the subject of deportees. He held a press conference in Canberra after meeting Chris Hipkins for the first time in his role as our new Prime Minister. And Albo was asked about the 501s and Australia’s new “softened” stance on deportations to New Zealand. And the first thing out of his mouth was: “We retain section 501 deportations, the capacity to cancel visas and remove people who pose a risk to the community”  That is a message for Albo’s voters. That is what Albo wants Australians to hear, that is his priority. And that’s why I doubt very much that they’re going to stop sending the violent thugs that we think they should keep. Sure on paper, they’ve changed their position slightly. Albo now expects his officials to give more consideration

A group of health experts is urging the Government to rapidly expand free school lunches. The program is restricted to schools with the poorest 25 percent of students, but the call is to make that 50 percent. Health Coalition Aotearoa's Boyd Swinburn says one in five children are in households that can't regularly put food on the table. "Those children are actually spread across all the schools, especially in the middle deciles. At the moment, picking up the bottom 25 percent of schools doesn't get most of these kids that are suffering food hardship." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Co-governance could be in for a re-branding from the new Prime Minister. Chris Hipkins met with the Iwi Chair forum this morning at Waitangi, and told reporters there had been a lack of clarity around co-governance. Hipkins says he likes to think of it as mahitahi: working together. Newstalk ZB's Chief Political Reporter Aaron Dahmen told Heather du-Plessis Allan that it could be a way to introduce a new word into the political conversation. He suspects Hipkins will stick to the idea of co-governance, but won't call it that. Instead it may be called mahitahi, or "working together". LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Disbelief over Corrections' management of a convicted rapist who moved on to murder. Joseph Brider was sentenced to a life behind bars this week for killing his neighbour Juliana Herrera in her Christchurch home. It happened just 72 days after Brider had been released from Prison. The Parole Board referred him to an intensive rehab programme but Corrections cancelled it, claiming there was no space. Board chair Sir Ron Young says that he doesn't know if Corrections lied, but the information was incorrect. He says it's hard to know or understand Corrections' motives, as the board thought the instructions were clear and everything was set up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has completed his first 100 days in office. Rishi Sunak entered the role in a time of economic uncertainty and political experts feel like his progress leaves a lot to be desired. UK correspondent Enda Brady says costs of living are still going up, wages haven't kept up with inflation, and food and petrol costs are on the rise. Enda Brady says that Rishi Sunak is the wealthiest Prime Minister in the nation's history and may not have much of a grasp on the current economic climate. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today is World Wetlands Day, and New Zealanders are being encouraged to preserve wetlands to celebrate. Just 9 percent of New Zealand's original wetlands remain, and Wellington and the Bay of Plenty are down to their last 3 percent. The Country's Jamie Mackay says we should be working harder to preserve the wetlands, as they act as nature's filter by trapping sediment and filtering nutrient run-off. Jamie Mackay also says wetlands play a role in mitigating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide and filtering greenhouse gases. LISTEN ABOVE      See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on The Huddle, Wellington ZB host Nick Mills and Jack Tame, host of ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! What do we think of Saudi Arabia potentially sponsoring the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup? Will Australia and New Zealand's football associations boycott this choice or ignore it by kick-off? Transport Minister Michael Wood is being vague about Auckland Light Rail- does this mean the project will be scrapped under Hipkins? Green Party co-leader James Shaw has pulled out of the Wellington Central electoral race, and is backing Wellington City Councillor Tamatha Paul instead. What do we think of this? Princess Anne is coming to New Zealand later this month- are we looking forward to this? Tom Jones hit 'Delilah' will not be performed at the Welsh Six Nations rugby tournament due to sexism concerns. Is this justified? LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has confirmed Princess Anne will be visiting New Zealand later this month. Princess Anne will be travelling to New Zealand at the request of the Army’s Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals, of which she is Colonel in Chief, to attend its 100th Anniversary celebrations. Barry Soper, ZB's senior political correspondent says this visit will be Princess Anne's first since 2010 and that he hopes she'll visit Invercargill, despite countryman John Cleese's disdain for it . LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Protesters gathered today at Cardinal George Pell's funeral, at Sydney's Saint Mary's Cathedral. The Catholic leader was convicted of molesting teen choirboys in 1996, before his conviction was quashed in the High Court in 2020. Protesters chanted slogans like "Pell go to Hell" and tied ribbons on the church fence. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says some high profile Australians were at the funeral. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clean-up crews attempting to clear roads before the Waitangi long weekend are facing an uphill battle. Waka Kotahi warns travellers should plan ahead and expect delays, in light of the extreme damage wreaked by heavy rain in the North Island. State Highway 23 to Raglan and State Highway 1 from the Brynderwyns to Waipu in Northland aren't expected to open over the weekend. Meanwhile, State Highway 25 A in the Coromandel is expected to remain closed for some time. National Emergency Response Team leader Mark Owen says there's still the likelihood of more bad weather to consider. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent Auckland floods may be bad news for the economy. Hundreds of houses will need to be repaired, businesses are grappling with ruined stock, and the damages are estimated to be over a billion dollars. NZ Herald business editor at large, Liam Dann, says the Auckland floods have come at a bad time at this point in the current economic cycle. Liam Dann says the extra stimulus generated by the floods is going to add to the pre-existing inflationary pressure in key industries such as produce and construction. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police are proposing licensed firearms owners pay the costs for their attendance at a burglary. This proposal was included as part of the Arms Regulation: Review of Fees 2022, which was released in December and closes for consultation on 16 February. ACT's Firearms Reforms spokesperson, Nicole McKee says this will price people out of legal firearms ownership. "This actually goes against what's in the Arms Act, which is effectively saying that people should not have to pay to be a victim of a criminal. Section 80 really sets it out, where they say that police are not to charge for calls relating to potential offending." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Motor Trade Association has a warning for people looking to privately purchase second-hand cars. Thousands of Aucklanders and people in Northern regions have had cars caught in this week's devastating floods and will be looking to replace their written-off vehicles. MTA Sector Manager Tony Everett says that it may be hard to spot a flood-damaged car if it's been cleaned and dried out. Tony Everett warns that flood damage can show up in the form of electrical failures and corrosion, and that it takes time for the problems to appear. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FIFA is facing backlash from Australia and New Zealand's football associations over a possible Saudi sponsorship. FIFA is rumoured to be confirming Saudi Arabia's tourism authority as a sponsor for the 2023 Women's World Cup. This has prompted both organisations to write to FIFA to ask for "urgent clarification". Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says it's unlikely that FIFA will change their minds about this sponsorship, as last year's World Cup proved how much they value sponsorships and profit. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An independent review into land use in Tairawhiti is now locked in. Ex-cyclone Hale left waterways and beaches littered with forest debris and slash a month ago. A forum meeting involving central and local Government, iwi, industry and Federated Farmers reached an agreement to investigate yesterday. Toby Williams from Federated Farmers says it'll be a review into harvesting practices and an opportunity to give foresters the tools to make changes ahead of the next big rain event. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.