Larry Williams Drive

Cycling NZ report came out this week – do we need to treat our athletes better, or is it just inherent that high-performance sport is going to be hard work? Should we put athletes above medals? Is this the Blues' year? Katey Martin says she may have played 199 matches but she doesn't think her career was "great" as she never got the runs she wanted. Is this overly harsh or a bit of welcome self-reflection? Phil Gifford, sports commentator, and Miles Davis, Newstalk ZB host, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on the Sports Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Move over Covid... Monkeypox cases are sweeping across Europe. Boris Johnson is officially off the hook after the police have closed their investigation into the Downing Street parties. German breweries are warning there could be a shortage of beer bottles this summer amid rising production costs and a shortage of lorry drivers. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Food Bag made has posted a healthy result today. EBITDA was up 18% to $34.2m, and net profit after tax increased to $20m from $2.4m.  The company's been in the headlines recently thanks to DGL Group's Simon Henry who made racist and derogatory remarks about the My Food Bag's co-founder Nadia Lim. He also criticised My Food Bag's IPO last year, saying it hasn't delivered value for money for investors. My Food Bag's share price has halved since the company listed last year. CEO of My Food Bag, Kevin Bowler joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Jacqui Dean is keeping mum on her role in a leadership stoush that saw Christopher Luxon take over as party leader.  The Waitaki MP – who's spent a quarter of a century in politics – announced today she's retiring at the next election. It comes after she was caught up in a messy saga last year – when ex-leader Judith Collins used a historical complaint by Dean to demote Simon Bridges.  That both derailed Bridges' leadership ambitions... and led to Collins losing the top job to Luxon.  Pressed on the matter by Heather Du Plessis-Allan, Dean wasn't giving much away. “I have regrets about lots of things.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's incumbent Prime Minister says we may not know the outcome of tomorrow's federal election, if polls are anything to go by. ABC political reporter Brett Worthington told Heather du Plessis Allan Scott Morrison still hopes he'll again defy the polls.  “Both sides of politics are suggesting that Labor is in front but Scott Morrison has been coming home like a steam train which is his typical leadership style, so he is hoping that can get him over the line.” Worthington says by tomorrow, half of Australians will have already voted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Within 24 hours of being released the budget hit a pretty major snag. What happened? And now that the dust has settled a little bit, what else is in the budget that might have been missed yesterday? Chief political reporter Jason Walls joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Biden met with the leaders of Sweden and Finland after they submitted their NATO membership applications. Elon Musk paid $250,000 USD to a flight attendant who'd accused him of sexual misconduct. One petrol station chain is preparing for a pretty drastic gas price. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Lodge has been immediately released from the Warriors – a day before he was due to suit up against the Dragons. The NZ athletics team was named for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Host of Weekend Sport Jason Pine joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simon Wilson's column in the Herald today popped up on my phone this morning with this alert: Simon Wilson: Can we stop talking about the 'squeezed middle' now?  In it, Simon asks: “The squeezed middle: Is there a more pernicious phrase in politics?” And he goes on to argue that yes, the squeezed middle might be doing it tough, but the people at the bottom are doing it tougher. And there are other things that matter too. Like the climate, trains, the climate, e-bikes and the climate. The tone of the article is that there are more important and worse off people than the ‘squeezed middle’ so let’s move on already. I'm sure Simon represents a certain way of thinking out there so for people who think like Simon, let me lay out for you why there really is a squeezed middle and why they feel like they do. The squeezed middle are not rich people or comfortable people. They are nurses, police officers, teachers, parents trying to raise a family on one income so one of them can stay home with the kids. They are the fi

Looks like Hutt Valley Hospital was just the tip of the iceberg. Wellington Hospital has to move its entire Emergency Department, as it no longer meets the required earthquake standards. Capital and Coast DHB says plans are underway to relocate the ED, but there's no indication how long this might take. Dr John Bonning, president of the College of Emergency Medicine, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you think the cost of living is bad now, think again.  Forecasts that were released by Treasury at the budget yesterday, paint a grim picture of what's yet to come for a couple more years.  Government economists say annual inflation will be 5.2% in the year to June next year. 3.6% the year after and is not expected to drop below three percent until 2025. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has slapped targets on the two major supermarket chains' backs. Urgent legislation was passed last night to stop them blocking competitors from accessing land. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark says this is just the first step to improve competition in the sector. Finance Minister Grant Robertson said something very similar on yesterday's show. Retail consultant Nick Hogendijk has been closely following the commerce commission report on supermarkets. Nick joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Conservative MP accused of rape has been bailed. The number of obese Brits is going to outnumber healthy adults within five years. UK correspondent Enda Brady joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I want to bring you up to date on the serious baby formula shortage in the United States right now. Parents have been scrambling to find formula after one of America's largest producers was forced to shut down some of its manufacturing, after a bacteria safety scare. The FDA is now increasing formula imports into the country... Begging the question, is there an opportunity for some of our New Zealand products to get a foothold? Jan Carey, chief executive of the Infant Nutrition Council of Australia and New Zealand, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Dann is the Herald's business editor at large; he's been working his way through the budget this afternoon. Liam joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT Party is calling this budget the brain drain budget... Saying ambitious Kiwis are tired of being milked and will leave the country for greener pastures.  The Government has lifted caps for first home loans and grants... Something ACT says will only lift house prices further.  ACT's leader David Seymour joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tauranga is grappling with a significant youth violence problem at some of its bus stops. So much so, the head of NZ Bus says it's the worst anti-social and criminal behaviour he's seen in his 22 years in the bus industry. The Regional Council has now voted to restrict free fares for under 18-year-olds, in the hope it will help ease the problem. Council chair Doug Leeder joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has reacted to the cost-of-living crisis with a billion-dollar package targeting the so-called "squeezed middle". But the boosts to transport costs and $27 for middle-income earners are temporary. Meanwhile, Treasury is forecasting inflation will remain elevated until 2025. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

COST OF LIVING PAYMENT – Is a temporary extra $27 going to cut it for those suffering from the cost-of-living crisis? What about those who are missing out? TRANSPORT – half-price public transport and petrol tax reduction will continue for two months and then what? Were you expecting something more long-term? CLIMATE CHANGE WAS BARELY MENTIONED TODAY – Did the Government realise it's just not appropriate right now as people battle with living costs, or are they actually just less ambitious than we give them credit for? SUPERMARKETS – They've committed to emergency legislation to ban covenants for land use by the big supermarkets. The Commerce Commission recommended this but does it fall short of the more significant changes that might be needed to address the duopoly? On a scale of 1–10... what do you give this Budget? Julie-Anne Genter, Green Party Finance Spokesperson, and Phil O’Reilly, former Business NZ CEO, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on the Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

Addressing the cost-of-living crisis was the number one task for Grant Robertson today. And while the middle class will welcome $27 a week for three months – a total of 350 bucks – beneficiaries and pensioners are asking what's in it for them.  Cost cuts to public transport and the fuel tax will continue for another couple of months The Salvation Army's Ian Hutson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the cost-of-living package has little extra for marginalised communities. “There was nothing really there for them, there was the winter energy payment but that’s geared towards getting people through the winter which was already there anyway, so not much there for the people we’re trying to help.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.