Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Westpac economists predict that the Reserve Bank isn't done hiking up the OCR.

The RBNZ has indicated through forecasts in the May Monetary Policy Statement that they don't see the OCR going up further than 5.5 percent.

Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says it's going to be difficult getting inflation to go down to the target range of 3 percent within their 18-month timeframe.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister denies New Zealand has undergone a mood-shift away from Labour.

A just-released One News-Verian poll shows the right-bloc could form a Government with National on 35 and Act on 12.

Labour's 33 percent, the Greens gained a sizeable three-point boost to 10 and Te Pāti Māori's gained one point to 3 percent.

Minister Grant Robertson says matters will come into clearer focus as we move towards the election.

"As we have policies roll out and people are comparing our approaches and seeing how we're going to pay for things and how the opposition might not be able to pay for things."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new poll shows although support is down for National, the right-wing bloc could form a Government.

Tonight's One News-Verian poll shows National have dropped two points to 35 percent and Labour is down two points to 33.

Act is up one to 12, the Greens are up three point to 10 percent and Te Pati Maori is up one to 3 percent.

On those numbers, ACT and National would win 61 seats and the Labour/Greens/Te Pati Maori alliance would get 59.

ZB political editor Jason Walls says voters aren't responding well to the internal issues the Labour Party's had over the last few months.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

School leaders are expecting staffing challenges for Term 3.

Students returned to school today.

Auckland Primary Principals' Association President Kyle Brewerton says in 20 years as a principal - he's never seen shortages this bad.

Brewerton says about a third of respondents say shortages are worse this term, than last term.

"We did put out a quick poll this afternoon, just little over 50 percent of primary schools that responded- we've got 118 vacancies of today across 422 schools."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Volunteer divers have made an unusual discovery off the coast of Wellington's Oriental Bay.

An unexploded fuze mechanism from World War II is the third potentially live piece of discarded military ammunition unearthed from the Capital's waters. 

Ghost Diving NZ Founder and President Rob Wilson says the volunteer divers were taken aback by this dangerous discovery.

"We immediately put it in a bucket of water, the bucket was submerged. And from then on, it was a case of- right, no-one's touching that, no one's going anywhere near that."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The opening day's ended in the trial of the mother who allegedly murdered her three young daughters in Timaru.

South African born Lauren Dickason pleaded not guilty to killing her six-year-old daughter and two-year-old twins in September 2021.

The 41-year-old admits killing the children, but is mounting a defence of insanity.

NZ Herald senior reporter Anna Leask says the jury has to decide whether Dickason intended to kill them.

"The Crown is saying that when these children came along, the stress and pressure intensified on her so much- the fact that they were impacting on her relationship with her husband and that she's snapped and killed the children as a result."

Defence lawyer Kerryn Beaton told the court Dickason was a loving mother who went through 17 rounds of IVF.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Moves to help the justice system crack down on brazen criminal offending.

The ram-raid trend of filming a criminal act and posting it online will now become an aggravating factor in sentencing.

The Government is also creating a new offence for people commissioning children to offend, or rewarding them for it.

Police Minister Ginny Andersen says she knows young people are competing on stealing cars and posting them online.

"That is absolutely disgusting behaviour, and we want to send a strong message out that videoing criminal activity will not be tolerated."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tree planting event in Perth has been called off after an Aboriginal group demanded $2.5 million for approval.

120 volunteers were set to plant at least 5500 shrubs and trees along Perth’s Canning River, until Whadjuk Aboriginal Corporation demanded planting at a site of cultural significance cease.

Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says this is the second tree planting event that has been cancelled over confusion surrounding Western Australia’s new cultural heritage laws.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Novak Djokovic believes the skillset of Carlos Alcaraz combines the best qualities of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and the Serb himself.

The 20-year-old Spaniard's stormed to his maiden Wimbledon title and second grand slam to consolidate his ranking as the best men's tennis player in the world.

Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greens say a policy announced today to return privately held land to Maori is about justice.

If adopted, it would allow the Crown to negotiate buying land from owners prepared to sell, to return to Tangata Whenua.

It would apply to land found by the Waitangi Tribunal to have been wrongfully acquired.

It's unclear what'll happen if the owner isn't happy with the price.

Party co-leader, Marama Davidson says it advances work already done by the Tribunal.

"It recognises that land as possession has not been restored with justice by any means through the Waitangi settlements."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.