Trump threatens Oman as Iran ceasefire collapses

A development in the Middle East, with US President Donald Trump turning on a key US ally.  He’s threatened to bomb Oman if it interferes in the Strait of Hormuz.  It’s all while a 60-day ceasefire with Iran expires – and officials say that there’s been very little diplomatic progress to reopen t…

Can New Zealand stop supermarkets charging ‘excessive’ prices?

Kiwis are constantly wondering why their groceries are so expensive.  The Green Party is the latest to promise a fix in the way of a members bill aimed at banning price gouging by the supermarket duopoly, which has a whopping 82% market share.  New rules would aim to prohibit supermarkets from ch…

RNZ cuts jobs as MediaWorks changes hands and Santamaria heads to court

A drawn-out employment legal dispute, the sale of one of the country’s top media companies, fears AI could take newsroom jobs, and RNZ planning to cut roles. The Kamahl Santamaria saga continues as the former broadcaster and TVNZ head to court next week.  Meanwhile, do the Aussies have what it ta…

NZ’s council shake-up explained: Who could merge?

The Government's working through merger proposals from councils around the country.  City and district councils were given until this week to pitch plans to create larger unitary councils, to replace existing local and regional councils.  Approved plans are due to be signed off next year and take…

Luxon survives the coup — but is National’s civil war over?

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is staying in the top job.  He's emerged from another confidence vote with the support of his caucus.  National MPs were summoned to Wellington for an urgent meeting this morning - after speculation about a potential coup.  The meeting ran for three hours.  But,…

Is Christopher Luxon about to lose the National Party leadership?

Speculation is mounting over Christopher Luxon’s future as National Party leader, with reports of caucus unrest putting his leadership back under the spotlight. NZ Herald Senior Correspondent Katie Bradford joins Chelsea to examine how serious the threat is, who could be waiting in the wings, and …

Are National's new fiscal rules tough discipline or political marketing?

National has unveiled new fiscal rules promising tighter spending, lower debt and no new taxes on working New Zealanders. But Taxpayers’ Union executive director Jordan Williams argues much of it repackages existing policy and questions whether the Government has delivered on its earlier promises t…

It turns out size does matter. The AI data centre debate hits NZ

Data centres are not a new phenomenon, but hyperscale AI data centres? Well, that's a whole other conversation. There are currently no AI hyperscale data centres in New Zealand, but that looks to change with plans already approved to build one in the South Island. Not everyone's happy about it, in…

CRL: The long road to Auckland’s big city future

It feels like Auckland is entering its big city era. New Zealand’s largest transport infrastructure project ever, the City Rail Link will open to passengers on September 13. It’s being touted as being truly transformative for the country’s biggest city ... a city that is rapidly growing. And tha…

Is 5.6% unemployment just the start of a longer slump?

Unemployment has risen again – and it’s worse than everyone expected.  Stats NZ figures show the unemployment rate increased to 5.6 percent in the June quarter.  That's up from 5.4 percent in the March quarter and it's slighter higher than most economists were predicting.  So, what does that mea…