Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Housing Minister says he's not happy to hear housing consents have been granted on flood plans.

More than 1400 consents granted in Auckland in the year since devastating flooding last Anniversary weekend, were in areas at risk of flooding.

Chris Bishop told Heather du Plessis Allan that the Government will be advancing a national directive through the Resource Management Act.

He says it'll provide clarity for councils around consents on flood plains.

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Two cancer research scientists in Australia have called for people to stop glamourising tanning in their acceptance speech for Australian of the year.

They said that the bronzed Aussie culture is actually killing us and called on influencers and advertisers to stop promoting it.

Trustee of Melanoma New Zealand Doctor Sonya Bodley told Heather Du-Plesis Allan that "young people are being influenced by celebrities"

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A small group of several Tory MPs are determined to oust Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of the UK election.

Sunak's approval rating puts him 21 percentage points behind his main opponent, Labour Leader Keir Starmer.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says Sunak's odds of winning the election are slim- and it's not a good look that members of his own party are turning on him.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Business Mentors NZ CEO Sarah Trotman and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! 

Wellington is experiencing a water shortage, and councils are being blamed for underfunding Wellington Water to the point where water is running down the streets from the leaks. Given the urgency of the situation, is it time someone stepped in?

A new report says Associate Health Minister Casey Costello is looking into freezing the excise tax on cigarettes. Is it unfair the public service is leaking this stuff- and does the idea of not making cigarettes more expensive have merit?

Insurance costs have gone up as high as 20 percent in the past year. Do people need to bite the bullet and pay up? 

Salt in tea- would we dare try this?

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Today marks 50 years since Dick Tayler made history at the 1974 Commonwealth Games.

Tayler brought home the gold for winning the 10,000 metres, an impressive feat for the former South Canterbury potato grower.

The Country's Jamie Mackay recapped the event here today.

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Equity markets are enjoying a significant spike in the new year.

International markets are soaring at an all-time high not seen since 2021- while the New Zealand markets are slowly working their way up.

Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains what this means for investors.

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NZ Cricket has confirmed the Basin Reserve has sold out a month ahead of the inaugural Test clash between Black Caps and Australia.

The second Test, scheduled at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on March 8, is also set to sell out, with limited tickets remaining.

ZB's D'Arcy Waldegrave explains the unprecedented demand here.

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Lower-income Australians are in for some financial relief following Prime Minister Albanese's latest announcement.

People earning less than $150,000 stand to benefit from the revamped stage-three tax cuts package, especially those who make between $50,000 and $130,000.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this modified version of a scheme created by the Morrison Government will ensure people who earn less will get a hand with the increased cost of living.

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Health Coalition Aotearoa have called for the current Associate Minister for Health to be replaced over her proposed plan for tobacco taxes.

Official documents show Minister Casey Costello is looking into a three-year tobacco tax freeze.

Co-chair Boyd Swinburn says this proposal is the latest in a string of 'anti-health' measures.

"Wanting to repeal the smokefree legislation that was brought into place in 2022, bringing in smokeless tobacco, taking the excise tax off heated tobacco, and now looking into taking the CTI adjustment off- this is all out of the tobacco industry playbook."

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The cost of insurance is still stubbornly high, according to the latest data.

Figures released by Stats NZ show that inflation is going down, but insurance prices have skyrocketed between 12 and 20 percent in the past year.

Insurance Council chief executive Tim Grafton says construction inflation and 2023's significant natural disasters are to blame for these increased costs.

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