Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Top end charity executives are taking home on average half a million dollars a year.

The Herald business investigations reporter Matt Nippert has been crunching the numbers.

Waipareira's John Tamihere is up there - followed by the Vice Chancellors from Auckland and Victoria Universities.

Childfund chief executive, Josie Pagani, didn't make the list.

She told Heather du-Plessis Allan that a bit of a double standard applies.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Look, I don't want to be that guy that comes out and declares that Biden's re-election chances are stuffed. Just in case there’s a tiny chance I get proven wrong,  But I think Biden's re-election chances are stuffed.

Not only because of the report that landed today, but then because of the press conference he called where he tried to defend himself and made it worse 

Let me get you across this. The report landed about 7 hours ago and it’s written by a neutral official who was tasked with getting to the bottom of whether Biden did anything wrong by keeping those classified documents in his garage.

 He found that Biden did do something wrong. 

He "wilfully retained and disclosed classified materials"   

But then decided against prosecuting Biden because no jury would find him guilty 

Because they would feel sorry for a "well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." 

And the reason he thought that was because in his conversations with Biden 

Biden couldn't’ even remember what years he was vice president under Obama 

And couldn't’ remember when his son had died 

That report alone was probably enough to kill off his re election chances given the level of worry among voters in the US over his senility ... about ¾ told an NBC poll this week that they're worried.

But then Biden calls a surprise press conference to defend himself.

And makes it worse.

By answering a question about the war in Gaza and then confusing the president of Egypt with the president of Mexico 

There is completely separate report today about a fundraising dinner in New York on Wednesday at which he recounted talking about the 2020 election with the German chancellor Helmut Kohl but Kohl died in 2017.

Truth is these concerns about Biden's marbles aren’t new.. .and they were already significant enough to make it very hard for him to be re-elected anyway 

But if you want to, in future, look back and find the moment that it became a certainty... i think this is it

This is the death knell 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Harry Potter cast member has made an unfortunate parking blunder after a night out.

Actress Emma Watson accidentally left her Audi A3 in an illegal parking spot, blocking a pizza restaurant manager in for over 3 hours.

UK correspondent Enda Brady explains further.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Beveridge from ZB's Weekend Collective and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

The Auckland Regional Fuel Tax will be no more after July 1. Auckland mayor Wayne Brown has since released a long list of projects that he'll have to cancel as a result. Will this be better or worse for Aucklanders?

How do we feel about facial recognition software in supermarkets? Will this reduce retail crime?

The Law Society has come out against the Government's plan to scrap funding for cultural reports, claiming it will lead to limited access to justice. Is this fair? What do we think?

The average recipient of the main Jobseeker payment is expected to spend 13 years on the benefit. What do we do about this?

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US quarterly results season is well underway, with 60 percent of companies reporting their results.

The marker has been bullish overall- but there are some clear winners and losers.

Fisher Funds senior portfolio manager Sam Dickie says big tech is still dominating, but Tesla has been struggling.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's speculation higher farmgate milk prices are on the way following a strong GDT auction result.

All of Fonterra’s main reference products rallied strongly at this week's auction, driven by demand from the Middle East and improved interest from China.

The Country's Jamie Mackay says customers should get their dairy products quickly, before the change kicks in.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could the incoming Year of the Dragon bring more luck for China's struggling economy?

Ahead of Chinese New Year, the nation's economy is still feeling the negative impact left over from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Chinese GDP grew by 5.2 percent last year, according to official statistics- a reflection that confidence hasn't yet returned.

NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains what this downturn means for New Zealand's economy. 

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Auckland Regional Fuel Tax will end on June 30, as part of the Government's 100-day action plan.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon says Aucklanders have been paying an extra $11.5 cents per litre since mid-2018- and this will save drivers money.

Mayor Wayne Brown has criticised this decision, saying this will leave a billion-dollar funding hole for transport projects over the next four years.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Government will either have to contribute more to Auckland- or ratepayers will have to cover the difference.

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workers in Australia could be given the legal right to refuse unreasonable contact from their employers outside of work hours.

The Greens' push for a legislated right to disconnect is gaining support with the Australian federal Government.

The law would give employees legal backup in handling conversations with employers who they feel are asking too much of them.

South Australia Greens Senator Barbara Pocock says they're simply looking at giving workers a chance to say no.

"If you're not paid to be available and it's a big intrusion, not an emergency or essential, you should have the chance to turn off when you clock off."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is reassuring Auckland motorists they will soon reap the benefits without a regional fuel tax.

Mayor Wayne Brown says the end of the fuel tax on June 30th will leave a shortfall in transport funding of $1.2 billion over the next four years.

But Transport Minister Simeon Brown is intent on making that back through other projects they've agreed to help fund like congestion charging.

He says it's about ensuring a benefit from what they're paying for.

"There's a lot of other things there, which I think are of low priority to me and the mayor- such as speed bumps, reducing speed limits, cycleways, more bus lanes. Those are what he has been against, what I have been campaigning against, they won't receive funding."

LISTEN ABOVE

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.