Early Edition on Newstalk ZB

The Supercar Sprints are kicking off in Taupo this weekend. The event is expected to bring up to 70,000 attendees, giving a significant boost to the city and surrounding region. Mayor David Trewavas told Mike Hosking that the town is absolutely buzzing. He said they had the parade through the CBD last night, and thousands of fans came out to see the cars. Taupo has a three-yea

Prince William has made his first return to royal duties since Kate's cancer diagnosis went public. Last month the Princess of Wales revealed she's been receiving treatment amid wild internet speculation. The family has been away from the public eye but the Prince has returned to show support for a homeless food shelter. UK correspondent Vincent McAviney told Mike Hosking the pu

The turn of the economy could make it tricky for those on JobSeekers to find employment. New Social Development figures reveal just under 188,000 people are on JobSeeker, up almost 20,000 people from last year. Employment specialist Jennifer Mills told Mike Hosking that she's sure many on the benefit are ready to work. She says the new work check-in arrangement may sharpen the

Experts are forecasting more financial pressure for households, continuing into late next year. The Infometrics data expects the annual GDP to dip into the negatives mid 2024, meaning slower growth than had previously been expected. Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan told Mike Hosking that with higher interest rates more properties are on the market with no buyers out.

Seven jurors have officially been selected for Donald Trump’s ‘hush money’ trial, leaving eleven more still to come. Despite the trouble they’re facing, US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Mike Hosking that it is moving faster than people expected. He said it could have taken up to 22 weeks to select all 18 jurors, and they already have seven. The issue is finding people

A Christchurch entrepreneur is attempting to break into the dating app market. ‘Amor’ is trying to bring something fresh, only giving four matches a week and refusing to show profile photos for the first 2024 hours. Creator Emily Heazlewood told Mike Hosking that although the market is quite saturated, a lot of them are hook up culture apps. She said that they’ve gone down

As inflation cools down, homeowners are starting to hold out for cuts to the OCR. The CoreLogic April Housing report shows 56% of new loans taken out in February were on one-year fixed terms compared to 36% in December. Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson says that's a pretty strong indication people don't want to lock in for too long in case rates fall. He says the repo

There are concerns the Government's new health guidance for children could impact employer attitudes towards parents. The guidelines say kids with a mild cough, headache, or runny nose should go to school, provided they don't have Covid-19 or other symptoms like a fever or vomiting. This move is in an effort to improve school attendance numbers. But NZEI President Mark Potter to

Security guards have no more power than a regular citizen when it comes to a threat of danger. They're expected to be more visible in malls around Australia and New Zealand following the stabbing at Bondi Junction in Sydney on Saturday afternoon. Forty-year-old Queensland man Joel Cauchi stabbed six people to death, including a security guard. Security Association CEO Gary Morri

Banks are picking inflation to continue falling. ASB is expecting today's figures to show annual inflation falling to 4.1%, the lowest since June 2021. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Mike Hosking that things like rates, rents, and insurance are going the wrong way. But, he says, it's still likely to drop because we aren't spending as much on durables, so some of those be