Infrastructure is high on the agenda for the Prime Minister's meetings in Australia.

Chris Luxon and Ministers Shane Jones, Simeon Brown and Chris Bishop have met with top-brass at Kiwi engineering firm Beca, and had infrastructure talks with the New South Wales Premier.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacks Luxon's new model for infrastructure.

LISTEN ABOVE

Infrastructure is high on the agenda for the Prime Minister's meetings in Australia.
Chris Luxon and Ministers Shane Jones, Simeon Brown and Chris Bishop have met with top-brass at Kiwi engineering firm Beca, and had infrastructure talks with the New South Wales Premier.
ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacks Luxon's new model for infrastructure.
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Barry Soper: ZB senior political correspondent on Prime Minister Chris Luxon's infrastructure-focused meeting in Australia

North Korea's set to reopen for international tourists by the end of the year.

Two tour companies with connections to the isolated country have made separate online announcements - saying tour groups would be allowed to visit the city of Samjiyon.

It's been almost five years since the country shut its borders due to the pandemic.

Former Sunday reporter Mark Crysell has been to North Korea, and says he recommends visiting.

"Every other country in the world is pretty much the same now because of globalisation - North Korea is like going to the moon. And when you go inside, it's like being sealed in a tupperware container."

LISTEN ABOVE

North Korea's set to reopen for international tourists by the end of the year.
Two tour companies with connections to the isolated country have made separate online announcements - saying tour groups would be allowed to visit the city of Samjiyon.
It's been almost five years since the country shut its borders due to the pandemic.
Former Sunday reporter Mark Crysell has been to North Korea, and says he recommends visiting.
"Every other country in the world is pretty much the same now because of globalisation - North Korea is like going to the moon. And when you go inside, it's like being sealed in a tupperware container."
LISTEN ABOVE

Mark Crysell: former Sunday reporter on North Korea reopening for tourism

The Associate Education Minister's unveiled his new plan for school lunches.

Newstalk ZB can reveal nine sample recipes from the Ministry of Education include butter chicken, a chicken sandwich, a rice and bean burrito, and Thai chicken curry.

David Seymour says these choices are the most cost-effective ways to keep Kiwi students fed.

"There's every reason to believe that we're going to be able to deliver what's been indicated - at the prices that have been indicated."

LISTEN ABOVE

The Associate Education Minister's unveiled his new plan for school lunches.
Newstalk ZB can reveal nine sample recipes from the Ministry of Education include butter chicken, a chicken sandwich, a rice and bean burrito, and Thai chicken curry.
David Seymour says these choices are the most cost-effective ways to keep Kiwi students fed.
"There's every reason to believe that we're going to be able to deliver what's been indicated - at the prices that have been indicated."
LISTEN ABOVE

David Seymour: Associate Education Minister on the new school lunches on offer to Kiwi students

The submissions are open, you can now have your say on whether Eden Park should be allowed to have 12 concerts a year, which is double what they have at the moment. 

And from me, it is absolutely a ‘hell yes’.

Give them 12 concerts, it's a great place for a show. I've been to a few shows there now - Pink, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel... and honestly, because of how good it was as a music venue, I struggle to imagine a time when Eden Park didn’t host music. It seemed so natural. But they only had their first concert, Six60, in 2021.

In the interests of transparency, I have to say for a couple of those concerts, I was there because Eden Park invited me. And I'm not naïve, I suspect they invited me so I could see what a great venue it was.

And it worked, because I was quite impressed with it.

Obviously, Eden Park isn't the only venue Auckland City's got, there's a whole bunch of them - and if you want to have a big open-air stadium concert, there's Mt Smart.

But I still reckon Eden Park beats it on a couple of fronts. For one, it's much easier to get to and from there than it is for Mt Smart.

For a big show, Mt Smart is a pain in the butt to get in and out of. With Eden Park, you can just walk out and you're in a bar in Ponsonby in 2.5ks.

Plus, there's capacity. Mt Smart can do about 40,000 people for a live show, Eden Park can apparently hold more than 50,000.

Obviously, that means more money for Auckland city, which is what I'm interested in.

The hotel occupancy for Pink was apparently 97 percent. That means people are bringing in their money from other places in the country and the region. There'll be even more money flowing in for Coldplay, cause they're only playing three shows in Auckland.

So far, Eden Park is doing good things for Auckland's economy - and just to underscore the place, think of the biggest events Auckland's had over the past wee while. We had Harry Styles, we had Pink, we had the FIFA Women's World Cup, and we're going to have Coldplay soon. 

Three of those were - or will be - held at Eden Park. After Coldplay, what's on Auckland's calendar for cool things to do? Outside of stuff like the tennis and SailGP, there's nothing.

So I'd argue we actually need Eden Park to have more concerts, cause it attracts the big stuff. And who would turn up the money that comes with it?

Plus, if we say yes to these extra concerts, maybe in a few years we’ll struggle to remember a time when we limited them to only six a year.

LISTEN ABOVE

The submissions are open, you can now have your say on whether Eden Park should be allowed to have 12 concerts a year, which is double what they have at the moment. 
And from me, it is absolutely a ‘hell yes’. Give them 12 concerts, it's a great place for a show. I've been to a few shows there now - Pink, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel... and honestly, because of how good it was as a music venue, I struggle to imagine a time when Eden Park didn’t host music. It seemed so natural. But they only had their first concert, Six60, in 2021.
In the interests of transparency, I have to say for a couple of those concerts, I was there because Eden Park invited me. And I'm not naïve, I suspect they invited me so I could see what a great venue it was.
And it worked, because I was quite impressed with it.
Obviously, Eden Park isn't the only venue Auckland City's got, there's a whole bunch of them - and if you want to have a big open-air stadium concert, there's Mt Smart.
But I still reckon Eden Park beats it on a couple of fronts. For one, it's much easier to get to and from there than it is for Mt Smart.
For a big show, Mt Smart is a pain in the butt to get in and out of. With Eden Park, you can just walk out and you're in a bar in Ponsonby in 2.5ks. Plus, there's capacity. Mt Smart can do about 40,000 people for a live show, Eden Park can apparently hold more than 50,000.
Obviously, that means more money for Auckland city, which is what I'm interested in. The hotel occupancy for Pink was apparently 97 percent. That means people are bringing in their money from other places in the country and the region. There'll be even more money flowing in for Coldplay, cause they're only playing three shows in Auckland. So far, Eden Park is doing good things for Auckland's economy - and just to underscore the place, think of the biggest events Auckland's had over the past wee while. We had Harry Styles, we had Pink, we had the FIFA Women's World Cup, and we're going to have Coldplay soon. 
Three of those were - or will be - held at Eden Park. After Coldplay, what's on Auckland's calendar for cool things to do? Outside of stuff like the tennis and SailGP, there's nothing. So I'd argue we actually need Eden Park to have more concerts, cause it attracts the big stuff. And who would turn up the money that comes with it?
Plus, if we say yes to these extra concerts, maybe in a few years we’ll struggle to remember a time when we limited them to only six a year.
LISTEN ABOVE

Barry Soper: ZB senior political correspondent on Prime Minister Chris Luxon's infrastructure-focused meeting in Australia

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