Larry Williams Drive

Last week, political parties polling above five percent squared off at Hamilton's Mystery Creek Events Centre. Labour's Damien O’Connor, National's Todd McClay and others faced off in the Rural Issues debate, hosted by ZB's Heather du Plessis-Allan. The Country's Jamie Mackay recapped the highs and lows of the debate. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour and National are facing scrutiny as they promote their respective tax policies ahead of the election. Both parties will also have the additional challenge of getting New Zealand back to budget surplus by 2027. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie explains why both parties should release a pre-Christmas budget ahead of the election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's NSW south coast has had its fire danger warning upgraded to 'catastrophic', following high winds and soaring temperatures. The upgraded warning came as Sydney airport recorded its highest temperature since 2000 and several schools in the area were forced to close. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this warning comes 4 years after the infamous fire storms wreaked havoc across the region. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A dark web ransomware site claims to have stolen user data following a cyber attack on Auckland Transport. The transport agency's ticket payment system was temporarily shut down following last week's attack, and hacker group Medusa is demanding a ransom. Darkscope technical director Joerg Buss says there's no indication that the group found any personal information at this point. "We haven't found any indication that they really found personal information or anything like that- and some of these groups are really good at bluffing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petrol is expected to rise to $3.50 a litre for 91 octane by Christmas. High oil demand globally is a contributing factor - as well as a weak New Zealand dollar - trading for about $59.2 US cents. AA principal motoring affairs policy advisor Terry Collins says prices for crude oil have steadily increased in the last few months. "The scary part is, in the last few weeks, it's gone up 14.5 percent. And we haven't seen those prices come through yet- that $95 a barrel quoted? That's October's oil." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Hipkins has just confirmed Labour is dropping its plan to get people out of jails. When they first took over six years ago, Labour set a target of reducing the prison population by 30 percent in 15 years. That target is now gone. Hipkins was asked about it today, and says there is no target for the next term. This is massive, because Labour was celebrated for this. On November 29, 2018, there was a huge write up in the Guardian about how great Kelvin Davis was. “The man on a mission to get New Zealand’s Māori out of prison”- said the headline  Labour's never backed down from this target, never admitted this was a mistake. As crime rose, as our concern over crime rose, as people with ankle bracelets on committed crimes- Labour stood by this.  And now they’ve backed down today. This is an admission that it was a bad idea, because of course it is. How many crimes do we now have to point to where offenders have ankle bracelets on? They’ve already got in some sort of trouble, but they’re out in the communit

One City Councillor reckons the Wellington mayor's business delegation could've been cheaper. Tory Whanau and several council officials are visiting China, Japan, and South Korea to promote Wellington as a city to live and do business. It comes at a cost of around $50,000. Councillor Ray Chung says not everyone who's on the trip needed to be there. "What reason would a wellness manager have to go on a trip like this?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The countdown is on to this election's first Leaders' Debate. Labour's Chris Hipkins and National's Chris Luxon go head-to-head on TVNZ from 7pm. Former National Prime Minister, Sir John Key, says Luxon's the under-dog - and may have the tougher job. "There are actually a lot of people who want to vote for him and want to vote for National- so they will just be making sure he's the real deal. So there's a lot to play for Chris Luxon." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expect a full-strength Warriors side to be named for Saturday's NRL preliminary final against the Broncos in Brisbane. Halfback Shaun Johnson and forwards Marata Niukore and Mitch Barnett trained separately from the team as they nurse injuries, but all are set to play. ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave shares his line-up predictions here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Expect a full-strength Warriors side to be named for Saturday's NRL preliminary final against the Broncos in Brisbane. Halfback Shaun Johnson and forwards Marata Niukore and Mitch Barnett trained separately from the team as they nurse injuries, but all are set to play. ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave shares his line-up predictions here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A u-turn from Labour. The Party says it'll dump its 2018 target of reducing the prison population by 30 percent within 15 years. It says the crisis has been averted and a target's no longer needed. National Party Corrections spokesperson Mark Mitchell says it's an extraordinary change. He says it's been Labour's core justice policy for the past 6 years. "At the same time, they had no plans to keep the public safe. And we've seen just a tsunami of violent crime and disorder in our country over the last 6 years." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prison population targets will be no more if Labour gets back in Government, because it says they've served their purpose. In 2018, the Labour Government promised to reduce the prison population by 30 percent within 15 years. Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis says the target was set because prisons were bursting at the seams when Labour took office, describing scenes of triple bunks and mattresses in hallways. ZB Political Editor Jason Walls says this policy change came as a shock to several key members of the Labour Government. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch City Councillor is firmly against new city speed limits. The Council's 'Draft Safer Speed Plan' includes a reduction to 30 kilometres an hour in residential areas - and 50 on roads like Blenheim Road and Memorial Avenue. Its Transport Operations Manager, Stephen Wright, says the evidence shows safer speeds save lives. Councillor Aaron Keown disagrees. He claims there's no evidence lower speeds save lives. "Since 'Road to Zero' started in 2019, the road toll's slightly up. We've spent billions and done a lot of advertising and lowered a whole lot of speeds- and haven't put a dent in the road toll." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper has been admitted to hospital and is to have open-heart surgery to remove a blockage. “I’d been feeling a bit out of breath walking up hills over the past few weeks and decided to go to my doctor for a check-up,” Soper said today. “They ran some tests and it turns out I have a blockage near my heart, which needs to be removed through surgery this coming Friday. They’re keeping me in hospital as a precaution before I have the op.” Soper said the diagnosis had come as a “bit of a shock”. Soper is married to Newstalk ZB Drive host Heather du Plessis-Allan; the couple have a toddler son, Iggy. Du Plessis-Allan told her listeners today that they had caught the issue with “a matter of weeks to spare”. “We’re through the worst of it in terms of the shock and stuff like that, cried all the tears, we need to cry,” she said. Soper said: “I feel completely fine day to day, but I’m glad I got it checked out”.  “I’m hoping for a quick recovery following surgery so I

Nurse Lucy Letby seeks to appeal against her convictions after murdering seven babies and attempting to kill another six. Letby was sentenced last month to life in prison with no chance of release after a jury found her guilty of the seven murders between June 2015 and June 2016. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this news comes after another hearing was confirmed to determine whether the Crown Prosecution Service will pursue a retrial for Letby's six counts of attempted murder. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been rumoured in business circles that Luxon is scoping top Kiwi figures as part of his potential administration.  Fraser Whineray and Andrew Grant have reportedly been courted by National's leader ahead of the election. NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says the pair have declined so far, but Luxon has expressed interest in partnering with Whineray and Grant. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A2 Milk has cancelled the exclusive manufacturing supply arrangement it has with infant formula maker Synlait Milk, citing a decline in delivery standards. Synlait's shares fell 10 percent following the cancellation of the deal. Dairy Insights Consultant Stuart Davison says this isn't good for the company, but they will be able to bounce back quickly. "They're definitely in trouble- but let's be clear, they're not silly. They'll deal with it, they've dealt with something like this before, and they've got other situations going on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ryan Fox's coach thought an early triple bogey had put an end to his chances of winning the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth. The Kiwi golfer bounced back in triumphant fashion - dropping eight birdies in 15 holes for a five-under 67 that sealed victory in Surrey. Sportstalk host Nick Bewley explains Fox's exciting turnaround here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's finance spokesperson remains coy about the Government turning down a proposal to stop funding gangs. Cabinet rejected a proposal in July by then-Justice Minister Kiri Allan banning anyone gang-affiliated from receiving public funding. Grant Robertson says he doesn't recall getting involved with that discussion. "Governments in the past have given a range of funding to agencies who work with those with drug addictions and so on- from time to time, those people have had links with gangs." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A famous day for Fiji, an infamous day for Australia in the rugby world. Fiji's 22-15 win in World Cup pool C action has enlivened the group - with the Wallabies now likely needing a win over Wales next week to get through. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says the crowd laid into Wallabies coach Eddie Jones as his side spiralled to defeat. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.