Larry Williams Drive

The Warriors' do-or-die NRL playoff match against the Newcastle Knights at Mt Smart on Saturday has officially sold out. Their first home playoff since 2008 sold out less than an hours after tickets were released to the general public. ZB sports news director Clay Wilson explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Council is asking for proposals for a national stadium in the city. The working group - formed in July - now wants expressions of interest to assess. The winning venue will need to be capable of holding major events, have links to public transport and feature a retractable roof. Chair and councillor Shane Henderson says the stadium should be able to compete internationally for big ticket events. "Auckland's done this very well in the recent past, but we don't have a lot coming up in the future. This is one of the questions that has been around for many years around the city, so we want to just nail it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China has labelled the arrest of a parliamentary researcher on suspicion of spying 'slander' and a 'political farce'. Over the weekend, it came out that a parliamentary researcher with links to key political figures had been arrested over allegation of spying for China. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the UK Government is now under pressure to take action and reconsider China as a political threat. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The outgoing New Zealand Superannuation Fund CEO has slammed the near-$10 billion tax bill as 'nonsensical'. Matt Whineray believes the Superannuation Fund should have tax immunity status, according to an exit interview.  NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says the next Government will need to make choices about the state of the fund. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new international player is determined to snap up Fonterra dairy farmers, as competition intensifies. Fonterra farmers have put up signs featuring the slogan 'A proud Fonterra farmer' in response to Singapore-based OFI (Olam Food Ingredients) setting up in Waikato. Fonterra farm source group director Anne Douglas says Fonterra sets the benchmark for dairy prices, and OFI will respond accordingly. "If you look at how the co-operative dairy model works, we sit here every day looking to maximise milk price and return for our dairy farmers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

No signs of slowing down from Novak Djokovic after recording his 24th grand slam title. Djokovic is the US tennis Open champion after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final in straight sets. ZB sports journalist Nathan Limm explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Schools across Melbourne are calling for increased security amid ongoing attacks. Multiple incidents of gang members getting into schools and harming students have surfaced, sparking safety concerns. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says there are Facebook groups ranking Victorian schools by level of danger- and a solution must be found. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Support for National has rocketed up to just over 40 percent, with a 4.3 point jump in the latest Newshub-Reid Research poll. Labour has taken a devastating tumble, down 5.5 percent to 26.8 percent. ACT has fallen two points to 10 - but can comfortably govern with National. The Greens are up to 12.3 percent, Te Pāti Māori is on three, while New Zealand First flirts with the threshold at 4.6 percent. National finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis says they aren't counting chickens yet- but it's positive. "It's pretty clear New Zealanders want a change of Government, they can see the country's going in the wrong direction and more and more of them are getting ready to vote for change." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors are set to go up against the Newcastle Knights this weekend, and expectations are high. The first home finals match held in New Zealand since 2008 will take place in Auckland's Go Media Stadium Mt Smart at 6.05 on Saturday. Former Warrior and club ambassador Monty Betham is confident the team can win as demand for tickets soars. "It really is building like that- the fans are going nuts. My phone's been ringing off the hook, people have been trying to get their link or their chance to buy pre-sales before it goes live tomorrow."  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meteorologists expect the El Niño climate system will start drying out parts of the country in the coming weeks. The North Island and northern and eastern South Island will be the most affected. Weatherwatch's Phillip Duncan says it'll bring a windier westerly - which very quickly dries the east of the country. "Parts of Hawke's Bay that were flooded are already now noticing how dry it's become in such a short couple of months." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for banks to drop mortgage rates- while they bring in record profits. They are scraping off an extra $2.2-billion dollars annually, from a 17 percent rise in lending profits caused by rising interest rates. Squirrel Chief Executive David Cunningham says he believes the slow housing market pushed the margin this high. He says shareholders want steady profits, and rising share-prices regardless of the lack of market growth. "So the only way to deliver those profits that the market expects- or your masters in Australia expect, in the case of our major New Zealand banks- is to lift the price." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's Leader denies he's threatening the National Party by suggesting a confidence-only deal, post-election. David Seymour previously said his party would consider it - if National doesn't co-operate in negotiations. That would force the larger party to seek the minor party's support for Government spending. Seymour says ACT's position isn't new or dramatic. "It's just saying- look, we actually want a tight working relationship, I've said that for a long time. But we reserve the right to stand up for the values and our voters to get better policy for them- and all New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Every Monday until the election The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, former Business NZ CEO Phil O’Reilly and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills have the insight word and analysis.  The Act Party has thrown a potential cat amongst the pigeons by threatening it may only enter a confidence deal with National. The panel discuss whether Chris Luxon is losing credibility. Labour’s polling continues to plummet – is there anything the party can do to turn its fortunes around? And the panel discuss the potential partners for both National and Labour post polling days. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former British soldier awaiting trial on terror charges who appears to have escaped from a London prison by strapping himself to the underside of a food delivery truck remained at large Thursday as police stepped up security checks across the United Kingdom amid concerns he may try to flee the country. Opposition parties linked the escape to years of financial austerity, while Britain's Conservative government said an independent investigation will take place “in due course” into how Daniel Abed Khalife managed to slip out of the medium-security Wandsworth Prison, which opened in 1851 during the reign of Queen Victoria. His escape has prompted extra security checks at major transport hubs, particularly in and around the Port of Dover, the main boat crossing from England to France. Britain's justice secretary told lawmakers that “no stone must be left unturned in getting to the bottom of what happened” as he confirmed an “independent investigation into this incident.” Alex Chalk also said “urgent” reviews in

President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are certainly putting in the time to cultivate their relationship. Less than three months after honoring Modi with a state visit to the White House, Biden is to arrive in New Delhi on Friday — a day before the start of the Group of 20 summit there — to squeeze in another round of one-on-one talks with the leader of the world’s most populous nation. There have been more than a dozen in-person or virtual engagements between the leaders since 2021 as both have looked to tighten the U.S.-India partnership amid shared major concerns. Those include an increasingly assertive China and monumental challenges posed by climate change, artificial intelligence, global supply chain resilience and other issues. Modi has heavily branded the summit as his own. The Indian prime minister has pictures of himself posted along the highway from the airport, greeting G20 delegates with quotes about the need to address climate change. As a result, Biden will be something of a house

A new approach to paying for private healthcare has started in New Zealand. Fettle gives people the ability to contribute to an investment fund which eventually goes into paying for private healthcare. Fettle founder and CEO Dr Colin Hutchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Injury concerns in the Warriors camp ahead of their first finals game since 2018. Star playmaker Shaun Johnson will sit out the first-round clash against Penrith due to a calf injury. And ticket demand for them is through the roof. Fans will be able to purchase presale access to finals tickets for $49, a perk usually reserved for those with full season memberships. But where those games will be held is up in the air. And the All Blacks have got injury concerns of their own. Jordie Barrett, Shannon Frizell and Brodie Retallick will all sit out the Rugby World Cup opener with France with injury concerns. Andrew Gourdie and Nick Bewley joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the week's sports newsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Huge problems in the All Blacks camp ahead of tomorrow’s Rugby World Cup opener. The three-time champion All Blacks will kick off the spectacle with hosts France tomorrow morning. But Jordie Barrett, Shannon Frizell and Brodie Retallick will all miss the opener due to injury. NZ Herald rugby writer Liam Napier joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consumer NZ is warning that many household appliances actually should last longer than both the warranty and what's expected. For example, TVs should be providing 8 years of work, and ovens should last for about 15 years. It wants to see a mandatory 'repairability' rating system introduced, showing how many years an appliance should last - similar to an energy rating. Consumer NZ Head of Testing Dr Paul Smith joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's released more of its education policy today. If it wins the election, it will require primary schools to teach every single child how to reach using structured literacy. It's basically a return to phonics, instead of the whole language approach used for the last 50 years. Education spokesperson Erica Stanford joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.