Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says he's 'living proof' the country isn't racist.

This is off the back of a recent controversy involving newly-suspended MP Lee Anderson making some Islamophobic comments during an interview.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says Rishi Sunak is trying to save face during the 'dying embers' of his tenure.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Matt Heath from Radio Hauraki and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Former Cabinet Minister Stuart Nash went on a verbal bender today to prove how committed he was to being tough on crime as Police Minister. Leader Chris Hipkins has accused him of breaching confidentiality terms- is this fair? What is Stuart Nash trying to prove?

A rat-infested Dunedin Countdown is getting ready to open the doors again tomorrow morning- if none are spotted overnight. Would you trust this Countdown again?

Luxon's challenging assumptions that Premier House is condemned following comments from the Australian cricketers, but he's taken issue with the building. Should he try to fix it for the sake of our international reputation?

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As several trade ministers come together for this week's WTO meeting in Abu Dhabi, some experts are less hopeful.

Stephen Jacobi, the executive director of the International Business Forum, says there's no chance of an agreement for further cuts to agricultural subsidies and tariffs.

The Country's Jamie Mackay explains why he's less than optimistic about this gathering.

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Immigration NZ have found themselves in hot water for failing to do enough risk analysis for migrant workers.

A review of the Accredited Employer Work Visa Scheme has found the department had insufficient checks and balances for preventing migrant exploitation.

BusinessDesk's Pattrick Smellie says this feedback could send the wrong signal for the future of immigration. 

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The Aggregate and Quarry Association says urgent intervention is needed to avoid delays in construction projects in the Upper North Island.

Auckland reportedly ran out of sand fit for construction purposes, and the quarry industry head says an interim fix is needed to get projects back on track.

CEO Wayne Scott says they've been on the cusp of a major shortage for 12 months before the end of 2023.

"The National Policy Statements that came out last year for Indigenous Biodiversity and Highly Productive Land have severely impacted on the ability of quarries to get consented."

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Sir John Key believes the time was right to step down as chair of the country's biggest bank.

Key has been working with ANZ's Australian and New Zealand boards since 2017, and became chair in 2018.

He says the bank is in good shape and they had an obvious replacement in mind- so he knew he was ready to retire.

"The timing seemed about right for me, and it's a pretty good time for the bank as well."

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A nursing recruiter says programmes for overseas trained nurses aren't enough for them to develop the necessary skills to work in New Zealand.

Canterbury nursing jobs have been listed stating overseas nurses who have just recently completed the competency assessment programme won't be accepted.

Gore Hospital recently had 80 international nurses apply for a job, but none had the needed experience.

Accent Health Recruiter Prudence Thomson says it takes a while for overseas nurses to understand our health system.

"They just need a lot of supervision and induction from senior staff, and there's not enough senior staff on hand to supervise."

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Countdown Dunedin South's intense pest management days may be behind them.

The store's been closed since February 10 after multiple continued rat sightings.

If none are spotted overnight, MPI have given them the all clear for opening tomorrow.

Consumer NZ's Jon Duffy says rats have a bad name - but people need to have faith the pests are being properly dealt with.

"You've got to trust that MPI are doing their job in making sure that it's safe, and that they've got the exterminators in- and that they've done their best."

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Virgin Voyages won't be having a second season down under.

Next summer's sailings of the Resilient Lady are cancelled in New Zealand and Australia to avoid growing tensions in the Red Sea.

New Zealand Cruise Association CEO Jacqui Lloyd says they'll be monitoring this situation closely.

"We do have vessels that travel down from Alaska, they come from Asia, they might be based over in Australia for the winter period- so they're easy access to get into New Zealand. But we are watching those in the Med to see any challenges."

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Immigration New Zealand's boss says it's unacceptable staff concerns were ignored.

The Public Service Commission's released its report on the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme, which began after a whistle-blower alerted the Minister to a lack of checks and balances.

The review has found Immigration New Zealand should have done more to minimise migrant exploitation risk, when regulations loosened post-Covid.

MBIE Chief Executive Carolyn Tremain says concerns were first raised internally last April.

"What has occurred here is not good enough, and we're making sure that we have a two-way conversation with people about issues."

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