Larry Williams Drive

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.

ASB Bank have posted record annual profits, but the signs of an economic slowdown impacted their earnings. The bank reported a net profit for the year ended June of $1.56 billion, up 6 percent on the year before. ASB CEO Vittoria Shortt says the bank has deployed nearly $1 billion worth of capital into New Zealand marketplace, impacting their total capital. "The more lending we do, the more deposits- there's definitely growth that drives the profitability." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's public sector watchdog has slammed the Ministry of Pacific Peoples for spending tens of thousands on a farewell event. It's been revealed the Ministry splashed nearly $40,000 on a goodbye event for former chief executive Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae, who was moving to another ministry.  ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says an event of this scale funded by taxpayers' money gives ACT ammo to slash the department. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is defending softer rules for Buy Now, Pay Later lenders than initially promised. Providers like AfterPay and LayBuy will soon be made to complete a credit report for new customers. It had proposed full affordability assessments to force providers to check shoppers can afford debt repayments. The lenders offer people interest-free loans and make money by charging when payments are missed. Consumer Affairs Minister Duncan Webb says a full assessment would have been too cumbersome. "We want to make sure that we get a proportionate regulation, and they do need to check whether there's defaults and other card and things like that." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Petrol prices continue to climb higher. The average price of 91 is expected to hit $3 within weeks, and the Government has already ruled out another discount. AA Principal Advisor Terry Collins says there are a few reasons for the hike. "The Saudis announced they'll take a million barrels of production out a day, Russia said it's taking some oil out of the market, and in the last month or so- the landed price of Singapore petrol's gone up by about 14-15 cents a litre." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National is slamming the Government for a rise in home detention breaches. Official figures show the number of charges for an offender breaking electric monitoring conditions hit a new high of 2035 in the past year. It's estimated to be the highest annual figure on record. National justice spokesman Paul Goldsmith says while it's appropriate for some, it's time to raise the bar for eligibility. "It's a good thing for some people to not put them in prison, but for the serious end- it's not appropriate for serious, violent offenders, and that's where the issue is." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland school that's banned phones for years is supporting National's promise to crackdown on cellphone use in schools. If elected, National will axe phones for all year groups - with some exemptions for those needing the devices for health or learning purposes. Auckland Grammar School has banned student phone usage for decades. Headmaster Tim O'Connor says it's a method that works. "As long as you set the standard and you're applying it in consistent basis, we find students comply- and that gives them a five hour window in the school day where they can actually concentrate on learning." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A food dehydrator is under the spotlight in relation to an alleged mushroom poisoning in Victoria. Three people are dead and another is in critical condition in hospital awaiting a liver transplant after eating the deadly lunch. A former daughter-in-law of some of the victims made the lunch, and is now being investigated. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the dehydrator is among the latest developments. "They found one at a tip not too far from Leongatha, where the deadly lunch was served up. Now it's undergoing forensic examination." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Crown have appealed the $450,000 compensation awarded to an individual sentenced to 7 years jail for an indecent assault charge. Daniel Fitzgerald was convicted after forcibly kissing a woman on Wellington's Cuba St, his third-strike offence after incurring two other indecent assault convictions. Otago University law expert Andrew Geddis says the Crown is arguing against compensating Fitzgerald because the prosecutor chose to bring these indecent assault charges forward.  "What the High Court found was that the prosecutor ought to have looked at this case, recognised that that was a disproportionate sentence for the fact for what he did and not brought those charges."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm not going to say no to a ban on phone use in schools. I think we all know phones are not the biggest problem with education, truancy and a crap curriculum are the biggest problems. But banning phone use can’t hurt, can it?  There is no upside in having phones in classrooms. Unless they’re being used for a particular lesson, they’re just a distraction.   Think about how distracting they are to you, how tempting it is to check Facebook and Insta and your emails and watch a clip- and you’re an adult. It's so much worse for kids whose brains are still forming. Frankly, we can’t leave it to them to self-regulate- we adults have got to do it for them. It says a lot that most of the states in Australia are doing it already. They seem to be several steps ahead of us in trying to sort out education, so surely if they think it's necessary, we should be thinking it too.  And it also says a lot that a major UN report recommended it too, just last month. My only reservation with this policy from the Nats is that I wou

The remains of Matthew Flinders, the first explorer to circumnavigate Australia, will be buried in his home town of Lincolnshire in 2024. His remains were identified after they were discovered in HS2 rail project dig at St James's burial ground in Euston in 2019. UK correspondent Enda Brady says his body went missing after his death in 1814, and a local group has been campaigning to bring his remains home for the last four years.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Neale Jones from Capital PR and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! The Government and BlackRock have joined forces to create a first of its kind climate infrastructure fund in New Zealand to support 100 percent renewable electricity, including solar, wind, green hydrogen and battery storage to fuel a low emissions economy. Is this a realistic goal for New Zealand? How will this impact future power bills? ACT MP Simon Court has revealed he had been shot in a drug deal gone wrong as a teenager, pre-parliament. Court reportedly wasn't involved with the deal, but was involved with a group violently threaten by the drug sellers. What do we think of this? Wellington mayor Tory Whanau's dog, Teddy, has being evicted from the mayoral office after the landlord put his foot down. The dog has been sent to live with the mayor's family, so he's not left home alone. Should dogs in the office be a rite of passage- or should

Economies are slowing down all over the world- with many poised to enter technical recessions. Australia's economy has stalled and unemployment rates are set to rise, leading experts to believe the region will follow New Zealand into a technical recession. HSBC Chief Economist Paul Bloxham says there are lots of ways to think about whether an economy has tipped into a recession.  "Is it really a recession if there's a lot of job creation still going on? There are lots of ways to think about whether an economy's tipped into recession or not- we don't have a precise definition." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conversion of sheep and beef farms into carbon farms continues to grow at a rapid pace. An updated Orme & Associates report on land-use change from pastoral farming to large-scale forestry shows the amount of land sold in 2021 soared 66 percent compared to the previous year. The Country's Jamie Mackay says sheep and beef farms being replaced by carbon farms is bad for the country in the long-term. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government and BlackRock have joined forces to create a climate infrastructure fund to support 100 percent renewable electricity generation. The fund is designed to provide access to greater pools of capital for New Zealand, create jobs, and accelerate green energy options, including solar, wind, and hydrogen. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie says BlackRock are essentially offering the nation a broking service where all sides will get good PR. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Victorian woman who cooked up a mushroom lunch which killed three and put another in hospital says she meant no harm. The woman, a daughter-in-law of some of the victims, is being investigated. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says police are baffled by this case, as no-one can identify what type of mushrooms were cooked and served to the victims. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister is putting pressure on National to confirm they plan to keep the firearms registry if they enter Government. A survey conducted by Horizon Research and Gun Control NZ shows 71 percent support the registry, while 14 percent oppose it. Minister Ginny Andersen fears that ACT, who have criticised the registry, may bully National into scrapping it if they enter a coalition.  "We know it's a bottom line for ACT, and so National needs to be clear as to what their position is on a gun registry." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.