Larry Williams Drive

From midnight, there will be no legal barrier to someone going to work infected with Covid-19. The Government is dropping all isolation and mask-wearing requirements from midnight tonight. Health Minister Ayesha Verrall says they continue to recommend people with the virus stay home for five days. Verrall says it's a lesson the pandemic can teach us. "Maybe some of our behaviour in the past wasn't as considerate of everyone else as it needs to be, it is still good to stay home when you're sick and not go to work coughing and spluttering." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I went to the football at Eden Park on Friday night. It was great, an almost full stadium and probably -without a lie- the loudest roars from a crowd that I’ve ever heard. All of the tech was there, they had a drone above the grounds- and everyone who was anyone was there.  Government ministers, political figures, national sports bosses, small business owners, former national footballers, it was the place to be on Friday night. And the thing that occurred to me was that it could’ve been a men’s game- that’s how good the quality of everything was. And isn’t that the crucial point? The quality you get with women’s sport is different. If you want to watch a women’s Super Rugby game, you have to haul ass to Levin to watch an afternoon game in your gummies, like you're watching schoolboy rugby. Or you tune in to some grainy coverage that looks like something out of 1990s rugby coverage. But this tournament had good stadia, good kick off times, good commentators and good camera operators.  I had exactly the same th

A reminder the trial of triple murder-accused Lauren Dickason case is decided by a jury, not the experts. She doesn’t deny killing her three daughters in Timaru in 2021, but is mounting a defence of infanticide and insanity. The jury retired for deliberations just before 2pm - returning to again watch the police interviews with the accused, and her husband. The Herald's Anna Leask says Justice Cameron Mander told them to weigh up the evidence they've heard. "Don't get bogged down on what these leading experts and police and all sorts have told them- take the evidence into account that they think is right and go from there." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Confusion from some smaller supermarket outlets, as the Government announces an election policy to remove GST on fresh and frozen produce. It says it would save the average household $20 a month, starting next April. Supie founder Sarah Balle says it'll add administration costs throughout the supply chain - which will reduce any savings. "To not just the fruit and vegetable growers themselves, but everyone else through the supply chain, whether it's the markets, the processors- and of course, us as a supermarket." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has voiced support for a national holiday if the Matildas succeed in the World Cup. Australia has made it to the semi-finals against England and could potentially make history if they advance to the finals and win. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson disagrees with this idea, saying the region doesn't need an extra public holiday. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's Australia versus Europe in the final four of the FIFA Women's World Cup. The Matildas squeezed past France 7-6 on penalties in Brisbane, while England came from 1-nil down to beat Colombia 2-1. The semis will also see Spain tackling Sweden in Auckland and England taking on Australia in Sydney. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains what we can expect come Tuesday. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZR seeks to make changes to provincial rugby, following chief Mark Robinson claiming the current model isn't 'fit for purpose'. The NPC was launched two weeks ago with minimal promotion or fanfare, and interest in the sport has been sparse. Former All Black Sir John Kirwan agrees with this assessment, and claims the NPC needs to be aligned closer to Super Rugby. "They play a curtain-raiser, they extend the squads and it all becomes part of the high performance. You'd have some semi-professional people and professionals." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The weekly grocery cost continues to sting Kiwis. Food prices dropped 0.5% from June to July, although they're still up 9.6% from a year ago. Meat, poultry, and fish increased 9.3% annually. Fruit and veggies is up 6.2 points, although July's costs dipped 4.1% from June. Vegetables NZ Chair, John Murphy, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he thinks we are at the tail end of Cyclone Gabrielle's destruction, which wreaked havoc on growers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government insists it's not 'forcing change' to close New Zealand's gender pay gap. Instead, Associate Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Priyanca Radhakrishnan says companies are being given the opportunity to outline their gap in pay. She announced today nine-hundred entities —each with more than 250 workers— will need to report their pay gap before the requirement's expanded to organisations employing over a hundred people. But there's no specific timeline to get there, nor any drafted legislation. She told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that mandatory reporting values people for the work they do. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The fatal wildfires in Hawaii's Maui caught thousands of people off guard. At least 53 people are dead and around 11,000 are without power, with the rebuild expected to cost billions. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du-Plessis Allan that a lot of bodies are washing up out of the water. He says the fire was so strong that it jumped the streets and made its way onto boats and the pier, so people were forced to swim for their lives. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A big rebuild job ahead for Maui locals once the wildfires start to ease. At least 53 people are dead and around 11,000 are without power on the island as Hawaii faces one of the worst natural disasters in its history. Former Prime Minister John Key has a property there, but it's not affected. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that having gone through the Christchurch rebuild, he understands the challenge ahead. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.