Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

New Yorkers are being encouraged to escape to a new city- our very own Capital.

For the Escape to Wellington campaign, a computer was set up on the streets of the Big Apple for a day.

Passers-by could click on a button for a glimpse of Wellington's lifestyle benefits on offer.

Wellington NZ Chief Executive John Allen says the region needs talent and tourists, and a campaign set up in New York could draw attention from all over the US.

"We've got so many US eyeballs on New Zealand, on Wellington, as a consequence of the Women's World Cup. We've got improved air networks from the US, so we're getting more and more connections to them."

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Progress on reducing waitlists in our health system - despite winter pressures.

Health Minister Ayesha Verrall says total planned care treatments, including minor operations, are increasing nationwide.

She says staff are moving through the waitlists in stages - starting by treating those who've waited more than three years.

"Then we're moving down through that, potentially, with the goal of getting to no-one waiting more than one year anywhere in the country."

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A private investigator trying to find missing Marokopa man Tom Phillips says he'll likely hide again, after being spotted.

Phillips disappeared 18 months ago with his children Jayda, Maverick and Ember.

He was seen yesterday in Te Awamutu, Te Rapa and Kawhia in Waikato - driving a stolen bronze Toyota Hilux flat-deck ute.

Police still haven't found him or his children.

Investigator Chris Budge says he says he's afraid Phillips will now do something silly.

"Because he's feeling caged, and I know that that is well and truly at the police's front of mind. That has been at the police's front mind for some time, of the unknown actions that could occur."

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Human remains have been found in the search for four army crew, after a helicopter crash off Queensland's coast.

The chopper hit the water off Hamilton Island during a joint Australian US military training exercise on Friday.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds explained that positive identification will not be possible at this stage- until more wreckage is brought to the surface.

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ACT's drawn a line in the sand- saying its MPs won't sit around the cabinet table with Winston Peters or his MPs.

NZ First scored 4.1 percent in the latest Newshub/ Reid Research poll, edging up to the 5 percent threshold.

But David Seymour confirmed he won't be in a Government where Peters is in Cabinet.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says he's not surprised David Seymour ruled out working with Peters- but Luxon shouldn't turn down NZ First.

"I don't think Chris Luxon should rule out Winston Peters, because in this business of MMP, you need all the political parties you can get."

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All Blacks coach Ian Foster today revealed his picks for for the second Bledisloe Cup test in Dunedin.

12 starting changes have been made for Saturday's test against Australia.

That includes test debuts for Shaun Stevenson on the right wing and Chiefs team-mate Samipeni Finau at blindside flanker.

ZB sport news director Clay Wilson explains further.

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The Police Minister has suggested volunteer wardens could supplement police in central Auckland.

Ginny Andersen says wardens for Maori and other ethnicities could do more patrols.

Former mayoral candidate, Leo Molloy, says it's a dumb idea.

He says crime has progressively reduced in downtown Auckland - and there are more visible police.

"They're around a lot more. You know, they started to listen because people down here- they were rattling the cage. I was rattling the cage through the mayoral campaign."

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Reasonably significant political news today- ACT’s David Seymour has absolutely ruled out working with Winston Peters in Government after the election. 

Saying: “It's impossible to see us sitting around the Cabinet table.” And: "There's no way that you're going to solve the problems that New Zealand needs to solve when you've got someone who's had so many chances and screwed it up so many times before.” 

Amen.

I like Winston Peters, I like him a lot. But David Seymour’s bang on here. How many more chances are we gonna give this guy? 

The thought of Winston being able to choose or influence the next Government actually terrifies me.

I don’t care how many times and in how many ways he tells me- like he did on air on Tuesday- that he will not support a Labour Government into power. I do not believe him, as far as I’m concerned, Winston Peters cannot be trusted.

In 1996, he told voters to: “put Jim Bolger in Opposition where he belongs”. After the election, he put Jim Bolger back into power. Lesson learned.

Even if he was true to his word and didn’t go with Labour, can you imagine the disaster a National Government would be with him in it? 

This country is headed in completely the wrong direction. We need some serious change, but  Winston’s not a change guy. Winston's a handbrake guy.

He's spent the last 35+ years complaining about the reforms of the 1980s which saved this country’s bacon. We need reforms again, to save us once again, can you imagine him allowing that to  happen? 

Plus, we are broke. We are out of cash. Grant Robertson’s holding meetings demanding Government agency bosses slash their budgets to plug a probably multi billion dollar fiscal hole as our economy slows and tax revenue drops.

Winston's a spending guy. He’s the guy who forced Labour to give him $3 billion in provincial growth fund money, which his party splashed around the provinces trying to win votes. And which the auditor general looked into and found was so sloppy officials weren’t keeping proper notes  

So no, I'm with David Seymour. I don’t mind a bit of Winston in Parliament to spice things up, but I’d prefer if he stayed the hell away from Government.

Especially now, when we do not have the time or the money for his game playing and expensive pet projects.

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Poland has rushed troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus of violating their airspace with military helicopters.

The Belarusian military denied these violations, but had earlier taunted Poland over the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries near their joint border.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says tensions are being ratcheted up between both countries, which may lead to further conflict.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Business Mentors NZ chief executive Sarah Trotman joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Finance Minister Grant Robertson has met with public sector leaders to discuss spending restraint amid a rumoured hole in the Government books. National says the Government's financial situation's much worse than forecast in the Budget. What kind of shape must the Government books be in? How will this look in the polls?

Chris Luxon has voiced enthusiasm at the prospect of accepting money from China to pay for our road rebuilds- is this a good idea?

Donald Trump is scheduled to appear in a a Washington DC courthouse on charges to do with alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Will this help or hinder his chances in 2024?

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