Larry Williams Drive

Political editor Barry Soper is here to officially confirm who New Zealand is sending along to Queen Elizabeth II's funeral. The bigger names include current Governor-General Cindy Kiro, Maori King Tuheitia Paki, former Governor-General Silvia Cartwright, former corporal Willie Apiata, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Don Mckinnon, and Tipene O'Regan the former New Zealander of the Year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In international finance news, inflation numbers have recently been released in the US, and stocks have been dropping as a result. According to US correspondent Dan Mitchinson, US stocks have reached their lowest level in the last two years.  Factors in play include concern surrounding a possible recession, the Federal reserve raising interest rates, and a housing market slowdown.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sportstalk host D'arcy Waldegrave- here with the latest updates! LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hepatitis A has recently been found in frozen berries. This poses a risk to consumers. To avoid contracting hepatitis A, Vincent Arbuckle of NZ Food Safety recommends boiling your frozen berries. “Consuming them in an uncooked state will not kill the virus present in the berries.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business associations aren't happy with the new transport powers that could be given to councils. It''s the reshaping streets proposal, where councils could modify street layouts and traffic layouts for up to two years without consultation. Mark Knoff-Thomas, from the Newmarket Business Association is here to talk us through it. "The biggest problem, really, is the lack of consultation. And, you know, they're proposing to do something for up to two years as trial, which is a hell of a long time." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this matter of the Rugby Union losing $280,000 because they don’t have enough women on the board. If you haven’t caught up on it, news came through yesterday that Sport NZ has ordered all the sports governing bodies to have at least 40% women on their boards and if they don’t, they’ll lose funding. NZR is the only organization out of 65 not to have enough women. It has 9 spots on the board, three are women. If they have one more they’ll be sweet, but they don’t yet. So they’ve lost money. This is a stupid policy, let me tell you why. Number one- that money was meant for community rugby initiatives including funding women’s rugby. So Sport NZ has decided having one more woman sitting at the board table is more important than funding women’s rugby. So worst case scenario would be a bunch of female rugby players out there going without whatever it is they need. Because Sport NZ is more worried about getting a nice middle class lady a board position than it is about them.  Funny priorities for an organization

The GDP numbers are expected to come out this Thursday, and the lead up doesn't look too promising. Between falling house prices and rising food prices, the economy is set to be in an interesting position going forward. Pattrick Smellie of Businessdesk has more to explain here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following Queen Elizabeth II's recent passing, people all over the world are planning to pay their respects. This has led to long queues and wait times of up to 35 hours in order to see the Queen. UK correspondent Edna Brady has more! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the rest of us look forward to the upcoming public holiday to commemorate the Queen at the end of the month, farmers will be too busy with seasonal work to appreciate it in the same way.  Jamie Mackay is here to talk us through it! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mercury Energy is planning on installing a $115 million dollar wind farm near Gore.  This is part of the company's newest commitment to renewable wind generation, which has amounted to $600 million dollars worth of projects so far.   CEO of Mercury, Vince Hawksworth, is in with us now to explain the wind farm, how it works, and how it can be used to distribute renewable energy for homes and EVs.  "We've really been working hard to get this thing to line up." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the last 6 months, we have seen the biggest drop in house prices since RIEZ records began in the early 1990's. The median price in New Zealand has decreased by nearly 10 percent, with Wellington in particular experiencing a 22 percent price decrease. REIZ Chief Executive Jen Baird is with us to explain what's going on with the current property market, and how societal factors are lowering prices and giving first home buyers a new advantage. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian universities have become so desperate to secure student enrolments, they've been admitting high school kids before they've sat their final exams.  Professor of Higher Education policy at Australian University, Andrew Norton, is here with us to explain why that's so detrimental to schools and students alike. Students are misbehaving and slacking off, which sets a dangerous precedent for universities in the future. This is particularly true for science and engineering courses, where hard work is a prerequisite. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Frances Tipene, of New Zealand reality show 'The Casketeers' fame, is headed to London for Queen Elizabeth II's upcoming funeral. The funeral director famously wrote an open letter to King Charles, offering his services for the upcoming service. Frances Tipene appreciates the opportunity to get amongst the event and 'bask in the small, little moment'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch City Council has recently decided to vote against the Government's new housing intensification plans. The Council voted against changing their current planning rules, as opposed to letting the Government have free reign over house restructuring.  According to City Councillor Sam MacDonald, "This is another one where we've had very limited local input, so I think it's symbolic in a certain sense. That actually we're saying no, this isn't good enough, you need to start listening to local government and democracy." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Annual food prices have risen at the fastest rate in 13 years - 8.3 per cent over the last year. That's largely driven by fruit and vegetables increasing by 15 per cent year on year. Chris Quin, the managing director at Foodstuffs NZ is with us now to explain. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today marks the first day of the Covid-19 Protection Framework being over, and Parliament had their first mask-free session in recent memory. Political editor Barry Soper was in attendance and observed that people were still cautious and feeling the need to enforce distancing rules.  It was also observed that Jacinda Ardern was pleased that our nation's hard work had paid off, and that we could ease up on protection, for the moment. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As Queen Elizabeth II was also Australia's head of state, the nation now gets the honour of handpicking some guests for the late ruler's upcoming funeral. Australian correspondent Murray Olds is here to talk us through the people who've been chosen, including former Australians of the Year and local heroes.  The bigger names in the guest list include horse trainer Chris Waller, tennis star Dylan Alcott, and decorated soldier Ben Roberts-Smith. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

D'arcy Waldergrave is here with us to talk about the upcoming ASB Classic tournament- and speculate about who else might be signed on! LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the conclusion of the 2022 US Open, the world no.2 in men's tennis, Casper Ruud is coming to New Zealand. Casper Ruud is set to play in the upcoming ASB Classic tournament, joining the lineup of previously confirmed tennis stars. ASB Classic tournament director, Nicolas Lamperin is here with us today to talk us through this exciting new addition to the event. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From midnight tonight, mask requirements end -- except in health and aged care. Government vaccine mandates end in two weeks -- with the decision now solely up to workplaces. Australasian College of Emergency Medicine's John Bonning says the rules have served their purpose -- and we need to move on. He says there's no word yet on whether Te Whatu Ora Health NZ will still mandate the vaccine for hospital staff. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.