Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Smart mouthguard tech is expected to be rolled out this Super Rugby season- but there's safety concerns.

Players are required to wear them to be eligible for the H1A1 protocol, meaning players will be taken off the field if there's a suspected concussion.

However, Australian rugby players have voiced unease regarding the technology, and some have claimed they've had trouble breathing.

Former NZ Rugby CEO David Moffett says it's concerning the players didn't get the chance to try them out in the off-season to identify potential issues.

"I still would like to see World Rugby doing a lot more in the area of collisions."

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A council colleague described Efeso Collins as a strong advocate and a family man. 

The former Auckland councillor and mayoral candidate died this morning after collapsing at a charity event.

He entered Parliament at last year's election and delivered his maiden speech last week.

Alf Filipaina says Collins was a supporter for South Auckland and wanted a better future for his daughters.

"I know that he wanted to make a humongous difference in Parliament for our community, and for our people...and he passes this morning."

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Turbulence in Air New Zealand's relationship with Auckland Airport.

The airline is asking Commerce Minister Andrew Bayly to look into the Airport's development spending, concerned it will drive up airfares.

CEO Greg Foran says its plan doesn't deliver a new runway, or improve capacity.

He says Air New Zealand wants investment going into the airport, but they also want costs kept down.

"There hasn't bee a lot of capital invested at the airport, we can all see that we've sweated the asset for a long time. But that doesn't mean you want to go from the lowest prices to one of the highest prices."

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Mark Mitchell has mounted a defence against attacks levelled by a political rival.

On Mike Hosking's show this morning, Labour's Ginny Andersen accused the Police Minister of being paid to kill people, when he was a defence contractor in East Africa and the Middle East.

Mitchell later claimed he doesn't know if he was personally responsible for any casualties, as his team defended a compound in Nasiriyah in the early 2000s.

Asked outright later in the interview, Mitchell denied knowingly killing anyone.

"I have been very clear- no, I have not killed anyone. Yes, I was involved in a siege in Nasiriyah, yes there were casualties on both sides- that's as much as I know."

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Outrage in the UK as a London-based cleaner was fired for eating a leftover tuna sandwich.

Gabriela Rodriguez regularly cleaned the offices of law firm Devonshires Solicitors, and she was let go following an investigation.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says the UK is still struggling with a food insecurity problem, hence the backlash.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Toby Manhire from The Spinoff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Grant Robertson is stepping away from politics for a new role at Otago University- how will he be remembered? Was he among the best Finance Ministers the country's ever had, or the worst?

Pseudoephedrine will soon be available to purchase from pharmacies again. What did we think of the initial ban- was it an overreaction?

According to new research, one in three Kiwis have a BMI of 30 or over. Is this a sign of long-standing health problems in this country?

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Several leading economists are at odds over next week's OCR call from the Reserve Bank.

ANZ has claimed the Bank will hike rates up twice before April, BNZ thinks an increase is unlikely, and ASB today predicted the OCR will hold until November before rates are cut.

HSBC Chief Economist Paul Bloxham says the economy has slowed down- but high rates still linger.

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The Country's Jamie Mackay doesn't think history will remember Grant Robertson well as a Finance Minister.

Robertson announced today that he would retire from politics- and take over as Otago University's new Vice Chancellor in July.

Mackay says Grant Robertson deserves a pass for his role in the Covid-19 response, but the 2023 Ardern-Hipkins Government was a 'failure'.

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Infant formula maker A2 Milk has lifted its first-half net profit by 15.6 percent.

That's despite a double-digit decline in China’s infant formula market.

BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie explains this 'surprising' turnaround for the company.

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Grant Robertson's newly announced departure has sparked plenty of debate about his political legacy.

The former Finance Minister has retired from Parliament- and will become Otago University's new Vice Chancellor in July.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Robertson left the Government books in an 'appalling' state.

"You only have to look at the figures to know just how badly this economy has been managed. Too much money has been scattered around."

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