Larry Williams Drive

A fire that tore through Britain's famed 'wonkiest' pub is now being treated as arson, according to police. The Crooked House, located in the Black Country, caught fire over the weekend and had to be bulldozed, angering residents. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the fire brigade sent in a detector dog that sniffed out fire accelerants, which sparked the investigation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in to discuss the following issues of the day- and more! A Taxpayers' Union funded Curia poll shows Labour's taken another hit- the party's down 4 points to 27 percent. National's up by 1.6 points to to 34.9 per cent and ACT is down slightly to 13. The Greens have also jumped by 3 points to 12 and NZ First is at 5.8 percent. Is Labour finish by this point? ACT plans to rewrite the Sentencing Act and put the victim at the centre when sentencing criminals. Labour says this will lead to more criminals and more people in prison. Does the idea have merit? A Sandringham liquor store owner is upset because his license wasn't renewed because the wine being sold wasn't upmarket enough and people weren't happy he was selling cheap single beers. Is this out of order? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds of punnets of Zespri kiwifruit have been recalled in the US after routine sampling found listeria. Testing carried out by the Kentucky Department for Public Health last month revealed that one-pound punnets of Zespri kiwifruit wasn't fit for consumption. The Country's Jamie Mackay says the contaminated kiwifruit was sold in 14 states- but no illnesses have been reported. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's descent into deflation paired with rising prices in New Zealand could spell trouble. Consumer prices in China fell for the first time in over two years, which concerns other economies battling the impact of inflation.  NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says New Zealand exports plenty of products to China- and their economic decline creates risks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A major coup for the Highlanders, with former coach Jamie Joseph re-joining the franchise as the newly-created Head of Rugby. The 53-year-old has signed on for four years and will start his role in February after his Rugby World Cup commitments with Japan. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what Jamie Joseph will do for the Highlanders here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Public-private partnerships have sparked debate, following the release of Health NZ's operating model. The agency's new operating model mentions private sector participation as an investment option for hospitals- but the Government doesn't believe it's an appropriate way to fund health infrastructure. NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff says PPPs are a good deal for private businesses- but haven't worked out for taxpayers. "The Government can always borrow money- if they make a profit, they'd have to borrow money more expensively, and it leaves us really holding the can, particularly if it goes wrong."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent survey of over 1000 dairy, sheep, beef and arable farmers found that industry confidence is at a historic low. The Farmer Confidence survey, conducted in July, found that 1 percent of farmers were satisfied with economic conditions- and over 81 percent of respondents were unsatisfied.  Federated Farmers President Wayne Langford says this is the worst result recorded since the Farmer Confidence survey was established in 2009. "We've got to stand up and take notice- our red meat sector, sheep and beef farmers have been through tough times as well, and even they're saying this is the worst confidence we've ever had." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland bottle store has been shut down after a group of neighbours complained it hadn't lived up to its promise of being boutique. The Sandringham store, Liquids, went to renew its licence and extend its opening hours- but instead had both rejected. Operations Manager Jithin Chittibomma says they're appealing the decision. "We have not broken a single law, we have not broken a single condition on our licence, and we run a clean business." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Cabinet Minister Alfred Ngaro's revealed the motivations behind his political comeback, saying Kiwi voters don't know who to trust. Ngaro's formed a Christian party, to be known as New Zeal, which he'll formally launch tomorrow - just two months shy of election day. He was a minister in Bill English's National Government, and says none of the political parties running for office this year fully embrace the Christian ethic. Ngaro says his party will represent people across the board. "When you run a business and you may be the owner- you could be a Christian, but you don't call it a Christian business, you call it a business. But people look upon the way that you conduct yourself, and that's what I hope that people will look at us too." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A not-for-profit Kiwisaver provider says it's tough competing in New Zealand's banking market. The Commerce Commission has today revealed the nation's banks are more profitable than overseas counterparts. It's just released an initial review of those profits and plans to investigate whether a lack of competition is the problem. Simplicity co-founder Sam Stubbs says most other OECD countries have open banking. "Which opens the doors to competition. Four years ago, the Government promised that it would be here within 12 months. Four years later, it's still not here." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT wants to overhaul the Sentencing Act and put the victims of crime at the centre of judges' considerations. Under the policy, cultural background reports would no longer be considered as a principle of sentencing. And home detention would only be an option if it didn't impact public safety. ACT Leader David Seymour says this applies to sexual offenders who are on a community based sentence. "At the moment, that's not a consideration that's made. And there's been instances where people have been let out in exactly that situation."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Cabinet Minister's revealed he's heading back into politics - with just over two months to go until election day. Newstalk ZB revealed Alfred Ngaro has formed a Christian Party, to be known as New Zeal. Ngaro was a minister in Bill English's National Government, but says Christians need a voice which isn't being given by any party at the moment. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Ngaro's not giving himself much of a runway. "There's only 65 days to go until the election, so there's not a hell of a lot of time to get out there. It's a list-only party at this stage." LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speculation is brewing over the intentions of the woman who cooked up a deadly mushroom lunch in Victoria Gail and Don Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson died after having lunch at their ex-daughter-in-law Erin Patterson's home. Heather's husband, Ian, remains in a critical condition. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the ex-husband of the woman, Simon Patterson, claims she once tried to poison him. "Simon suspected he'd been poisoned by Erin, because he spent three weeks in intensive care."  Forensics are underway on a food dehydrator found at a dump near the house. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Primary Principals want education to stop being politicised. A survey of 150 schools has found at least 45 minutes a day is currently being taught in each subject of reading, writing and maths. National says it should be at least an hour, but educators say there's no value in that. Auckland Primary Principals' Association president Kyle Brewerton says all parties are spouting ideology to get votes. "Put your two cents worth in and push your ideas. The trouble is, every time we change Government that's millions and millions of dollars funding those changes. And often those changes serve no purpose and make no difference."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT’s released its tougher on crime sentencing policy today, and I'll be honest with you- even I'm shocked at how little consideration judges have to pay to victims when they sentence offenders.  ACT has pointed out that at the moment, basically everything is about the offender. Take a look at the sentencing principles in the Sentencing Act: Judges must take into account any particular circumstances of the offender that means that a sentence would be disproportionately severe. They must take into account the offender’s personal, family, whanau, community, and cultural background in imposing a sentence. And they must impose the least restrictive sentence, as in- the least harsh sentence they can impose. And as for the victim, just one mention: Judges must take into account any information provided to the court concerning the effect of the offending on the victim. And as for the community and the risk to the community for the offender roaming the streets instead of being shoved into jail- absolutely nothing. 

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has apologised for mistakenly revealing details of all 10,000 staff members. By human error, the PSNI had shared names of all police and civilian personnel, where they were based and their roles. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this breach puts them at risk of being targeted by republican paramilitaries, and they must be extremely vigilant about their security. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Projects Director at Still, Sam Johnson, and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The National Party has promised they will ban mobile phones from schools if they get elected. Is this a good idea? The Public Service Commission has told off the Ministry of Pacific Peoples for spending $40,000 on their chief executive's farewell. Is this an inappropriate use of taxpayer money? A new Essential poll has Labour at 29 percent, National at 34.5 percent, the Greens on 8.5 percent, Act on 11.6 percent, The Maori Party on 2.5 percent and NZ First on 5.3 percent. Does this sound par for the course? What does this mean for election night? The Crown are trying to appeal a $450,000 compensation pay-out for the 'Cuba St kisser'- the man who was sent to jail for seven years for indecent assault under the three strikes law. What do we think of this? National's Sam Uffindell's copping heat for sharing his sporadic sup

The Chinese economy has slipped into deflation, as declining domestic spending impacted the region's post-Covid recovery. China's CPI fell 0.3 points in July, having completely flatlined in June. These figures are off the back of exports falling sharply in July by 14.5 percent. Infometrics chief forecaster Gareth Kiernan says weak household demand and retail spending and a declining property market suggest the economy is going through a difficult time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's new partnership with BlackRock Capital is set to fast-track the nation's transition to renewable energy. BlackRock's investment fund is set to boost renewable solar, wind and green hydrogen energy infrastructure to eventually produce 100 percent renewable electricity. Milford Asset Management analyst Deborah Lambie warns New Zealand's power grid is set to face more challenge and complexity as a result. "We need significant investments and upgrading in our grid in order to support the electrification trend that we're seeing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government have ditched plans to implement tougher regulations on Buy Now, Pay Later providers. They had initially proposed requiring affordability tests on purchases above $600 to ensure users could manage taking on debt, but have since ruled it 'too onerous'. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says the Government may have been spooked by the fallout from the CCCFA changes, and will want to avoid a similar situation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.