Larry Williams Drive

The Prime Minister has moved the date of the full border opening forward. The semi-regular Pecuniary interests of MP's assets and gifts have been released. The Mark Mitchell vs Greg O'Connor saga's taken another turn. Chief political reporter Jason Walls joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Brady signs a broadcast deal with Fox worth almost 600 million NZ dollars. Key Silver Lake vote to happen on the second of June. Sportstalk host D’Arcy Waldegrave joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Immigration Minister is talking up shorter visa processing times. The Government's announced a raft of immigration changes – including speedy pathways to residency for highly skilled workers, and the border fully re-opening from August. Kris Faafoi says the system is moving from paper-based to online. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan the Accredited Employer Work Visa should only take about 30 days. “From the employer doing the job check and us doing the migrant check, that is vastly an improvement on the previous regime which is about 50 or 60 days.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should we be doing more to shut down Gloriavale?  That's the question being thrown around after the court confirmed the 'use of child labour' within the compound. Former member Aaron Courage reiterated that point this morning. But how do you actually shut down a community that's home to over 500 people, a huge exporter of goods and all the residents have ever known? James Harrison is another former Gloriavale member who lived in the community for over 40 years. James joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Queen will miss the parliament opening later today. This has led to loads of speculation over how much we'll see her at the Jubilee celebrations. The Russian Ambassador in Poland was hit in his face by paint. Embarrassment for Cambridge University as prized painting could have been looted by Nazis. UK correspondent Enda Brady joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is wide open and ready to welcome tourists – at least according to our Tourism Minister it is. Stuart Nash is in Australia at the moment promoting us as a tourist destination. However, the Australian Federation of Travel Agents says with our strict pre-departure testing regime in place, travellers are still wary of booking tickets. Dean Long, chief executive of AFTA, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Foot and mouth disease outbreak has been reported in Indonesia. This will keep biosecurity officials busy trying to keep this out. Host of the Country Jamie Mackay joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you feel like we're just hearing pre-budget announcement followed by pre-budget announcement, you'd be right. The Government's been splashing the cash for law and order, apprentices, domestic violence. Pattrick Smellie from Businessdesk joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is expected to announce a new congestion charge for Auckland commuters next week as they try and recoup $1.3 billion in productivity losses. So now, essentially, you'll be paying $3.50 each way to travel in certain zones during peak hours. Starting with the CBD and then moving into areas such as Albany and Manukau.  Someone, surprisingly, in favour of it is chief executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce Michael Barnett. Michael Barnett joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT Party leader David Seymour joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to respond to Willie Jackson's comments.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Willie Jackson's lashed out at David Seymour – saying he's the most useless advocate for Māori because ACT wants to get rid of the Ministry for Māori Development. What do you make of that? Looks like congestion charges are all but confirmed – the question is how fast is the Government going to bring them in and where exactly will they apply? Prince Harry is launching some global campaign around sustainable travel and he picked out NZ to make his case... is this odd to you? The Employment Court has decided that Gloriavale kids who are working are indeed "employees" – has this got the potential to blow up the way this community operates? Ben Thomas, former National Party Press Secretary, and Neale Jones, former Chief of Staff to Jacinda Ardern, joined Heather du Plessis on the Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Minister for Māori Development has hit out at ACT Party leader David Seymour... Calling him a useless Māori.  It comes after ACT proposed to get rid of the Ministry for Māori Development along with other demographic ministries like the Ministry for Women.  Willie Jackson, Minister for Māori Development, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

War-of-words in parliament today – David Seymour vs everyone else?  Grant Robertson's throwing down the gauntlet to National over its support of ACT's policies – why is he so frustrated?  Is the congestion tax a done deal? Chief political reporter Jason Walls joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest poll has Labor even further ahead of the coalition – but the number of people shunning the two major parties is also at an all-time high. A dead body was found in a Newcastle river with 50 kgs of cocaine. Michael Gunner resigns as NT chief minister. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warriors coach Nathan Brown is on the show today, have you got a few pointed questions ready? Chris Rattue has made the case that NZ is actually not a very good nation when it comes to sport even though we'd like to think otherwise. Host of Sportstalk D’Arcy Waldegrave joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Details of the Queen's mobility issues are scarce... but she's pulled out of British Parliament's state opening for the first time since 1963.  Royal commentator Juliet Rieden told Heather du Plessis-Allan the Queen's been seen having difficulty walking. Rieden says the House of Lords is an old building with accessibility issues. “She would walk all the way up the middle, she would have to go up the stairs then she would sit on that throne and then she would deliver the speech and be sitting there for a while and obviously her doctors have advised that that is no good for her.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can tell you now, the Government’s plan to lump congestion charging on Aucklanders is not going to be popular. From the hints being dropped, it sounds like the Government might announce this congestion charge next Monday. The cost might be 3.50 each way, so if you’re traveling both in and out of the city daily, that’s $7 a day, $35 a week. And they could bring it in from 2025, but might be leaning towards doing it as early as next year. Now as I say, I don’t think this is going to be popular. There’s a poll up on the Herald and 75% of voters don’t support it. Don’t write that off as an untrustworthy opt-in poll too quickly. It almost perfectly mirrors what people told the Select Committee when it was considering congestion charging last year: 70% of people said no. I think we all know a congestion charge is inevitable – if only because we’ve talked about it for so long it’s got to happen eventually. But the devil is in the detail and there are a thousand ways this already unpopular idea could get even more

A local board member says tempers are high over a multitude of new T3 lane cameras on an Auckland road, with some vandalised recently. 68 new cameras have been erected on a 2.3-kilometre stretch of Onewa Road, on the North Shore, to enforce transit lanes. Kaipatiki Board member John Gillon told Heather du Plessis Allan fines will start being enforced from May 24 ... at $150 a pop. “I don’t endorse the vandalism at all, I don’t endorse any action like that but I can understand that people are very concerned about them.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Significant compensation could be the result of a landmark Employment Court decision. The court has ruled a group of former Gloriavale members were working as employees from six years old. Hosea and Levi Courage, and Daniel Pilgrim, sought a declaration on the status on work they did at the commune and its businesses. Lawyer Brian Henry told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's not clear what full back pay would amount to – but it could be a lot. “There will be a need for the labour inspector to look at a whole range of things which is including paying them properly, compensation for various breaches of the general employment standards that they’ve incurred.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, the Government is expected to announce a new congestion charge for Auckland next week. In an attempt to reduce congestion by up to 12 percent, comparing the result to school holiday level traffic all year round. The new charge could be implemented within the CBD as soon as 2025 and expanded into other areas by 2028. Auckland Mayor Phil Goff joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.