Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and current affairs commentator Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

National have proposed a $24 billion transport plan that includes funding 13 new Roads of National Significance including Whangarei to Tauranga and Mill Road in Auckland. Let's Get Wellington Moving is also expected to be axed. Does this look like a sound plan? Do we think National only needs $24 billion to pay for this?

Labour MP Tāmati Coffey has come out of his retirement from politics to stand for the East Coast electorate. The seat opened up after former Minister Kiri Allan announced she would not be standing for re-election. What do we make of this?

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A $567 million push to make cyclone and flood-affected roads safer and more resilient.

The Government's announced funding for immediate works on state highways in Tairāwhiti, Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, Coromandel and Northland.

NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan says Cyclone Recovery Minister Grant Robertson has a lot landing on his shoulders, and it's unclear how much will get done before the election. 

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Labour unveiled their Party list for the upcoming election- with bad news for several MPs.

Leader Chris Hipkins is number one on the list, followed by Kelvin Davis, Carmel Sepuloni and Grant Robertson.

Former Ministers Phil Twyford and Michael Wood have taken a nosedive and dropped to 49th and 45th, respectively.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this list makes for a destabilised caucus- another worry for Chris Hipkins between now and October.

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US economists are predicting the region will be able to get inflation under control while avoiding recession.

The US Federal Reserve is no longer projecting a recession in the near term, and employment and the economy are holding strong.

One Nashville-based markets analyst, Scott Shellady, still believes the region is at risk of entering a recession.

"The consumer is starting to falter here in the country. We've got foreclosures spiking, auto loan delinquencies are also rising quickly, corporate bankruptcies have spiked. There are a lot of negative signs."

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The Finance Minister's staying tight lipped on how much the Government will fork out for managed retreat in Hawke's Bay.

The region's councils are being asked to consider and consult on a cost-sharing agreement to buy-out cyclone-stricken homes.

The package also includes Government contributions for flood protection projects - to protect houses which can still be lived in.

Minister Grant Robertson says the details on the cost-sharing are for the councils to discuss first.

"Within the next few days, a week or so I hope, we should be in a position to be able to announce all the details."

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National today confirmed they'll scrap Let's Get Wellington Moving- and the Prime Minister hasn't voiced support for the project. 

The Opposition intends to gut most of the controversial transit plan, including light rail and the removal of cars from several central Wellington streets in order to fund a second Mt Vic tunnel.

Greater Wellington Regional Council chair Daran Ponter is disappointed both Labour and National have rejected Let's Get Wellington Moving.

"Once you've invested a significant amount of money, you simply can't throw the baby out with the bathwater without pouring the same amount of money back into it to start again."

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FENZ have issued a warning regarding the dangers of lithium-ion batteries days after a harmful explosion.

On Saturday, an e-scooter charging in a central Wellington apartment exploded- leaving a person critically injured.

Fire and Emergency NZ risk reduction and investigations manager Pete Gallagher says it's important to be careful when charging lithium-ion batteries- and avoid doing it overnight.

"One of the problems with lithium-ion batteries is they don't like being over-charged as much as they like being run totally flat and recharged from 0. Once the battery's full of charge, that's when you take it off."

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The secondary schools union says a proposed pay rise would be satisfactory - but not everything they'd wanted.

An arbitration panel has recommended a 14.5 percent pay rise, over three instalments.

It would shift most secondary teachers' starting rates from $55,000 to about $64,000 by the start of 2025.

The Post Primary Teachers Association's Chris Abercrombie says it's more than the Education Ministry is offering.

"The Ministry's offer, the 30th of May one, was roughly about $3,000 less a year on top of the scale once this is all finished."

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National are defending the cost of their newly announced $24 billion transport policy.

Labour's already poked holes in it, saying the four-lane highways between Whangarei and Tauranga plan alone is out by billions.

But Opposition transport spokesperson Simeon Brown says this funding covers the first four stages - of what will be a multi-generational project.

"This is just like the Waikato Expressway when that was started, it was done in a number of stages over many years."

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Four missing Australian Defence Force members have been confirmed dead.

Significant wreckage has been found from a helicopter that crashed in Queensland.

It was conducting joint Australian and US military training off Lindeman Island on Friday night.

Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says the search continues for the bodies.

He says the type of helicopter used in the exercise has been grounded as a result.

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