Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Auckland Council's Transport and Infrastructure Committee has endorsed having a team work on timed congestion charges.

Mayor Wayne Brown wants to have the charges in place as soon as possible, potentially with discounts for Gold Card holders and people on low incomes.

Public Transport Users Association Chair Niall Robertson says it can't be done until public transport options are in place.

"If you haven't got all these other alternatives, it's a kind of double jeopardy for the commuter, who might not have any other options but to take the car on the motorway."

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The implementation of a controversial new science curriculum has come to a halt- both delighting and frustrating educators.

A leaked early version of the curriculum upset some for its lack of any mention of physics, chemistry or biology.

Consultation has been put on hold for a second time, with the Ministry of Education waiting to engage with the new Government before it's sent out.

St Cuthbert's College principal Justine Mahon says school staff are relieved with this delay.

"New Zealand education is in dire straits at the moment, and we need the incoming Government to make it a priority to lift the standard. Scrutinising the draft science curriculum is an imperative."

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Probably the most interesting development of the day kind of related to the coalition negations is the fact that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been busted deliberately ramping down its use of Te Reo Māori to make the incoming Government happy.

At MFAT, if staff want to write a formal message to a Minister, they use a template. Until about a couple of weeks ago, that template told staff to use Māori words instead of some English words.

For example; summary, report, recommendations and conclusions.

But since around the time the special votes started coming in- and it was obvious Winston Peters would be a possibility for Foreign Minister, MFAT's chief executive has made the call to dump some of those Māori words and go back to the English words in the template.

It's pretty obvious that MFAT is doing this because because of the incoming Government.

MFAT brought the Māori words in apparently because the previous Labour Foreign Affairs Minister, Nanaia Mahuta, had told MFAT to use more Te Reo. But not all the parties in the incoming Government love the political use of Te Reo.

Personally, I've got no objection to the use of Te Reo. I learnt for years, I use it myself probably every day in some way.

But no one likes a greaser. And MFAT’s been busted greasing.

Happy to use Te Reo to make Nanaia happy, happy to dump it the minute it looks like Winston Peters, who loves the Queen’s English is back in the chair.

And this is probably a perfect example of the exactly the reason so many people get frustrated by the use of Te Reo Māori in the media and in Government. Because it feels forced and hollow.

It feels like the guy on the news and the weather person and the public servant signing off with ngā mihi don’t actually really care about Te Reo, or use it that much themselves.

It feels like they're just saying it to signal that they're virtuous and acceptable- and MFAT has just been busted doing exactly that.

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Former British Home Secretary Suella Braverman has hit back with a 'scathing' open letter to Rishi Sunak.

Braverman was recently sacked after she accused the Metropolitan Police of bias in the policing of protests.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says people believe Braverman's setting herself up for future leadership in the Conservative party, with many voicing support for her views.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Business Mentors Chief Executive Sarah Trotman and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Luxon, Seymour and Peters finally got in a room today to sort out a new coalition Government. The three leaders met for half an hour- and then Winston and Luxon and ACT and National went on to have longer meetings. What happens next? Is there hope of progress on coalition negotiations? 

Newly-retired referee Wayne Barnes has taken aim at Sir Graham Henry and New Zealand in general in his new biography. Are his comments out of line?

A record net 44,800 Kiwis have left the country to live elsewhere, according to new data. Is this brain drain concerning- or will this be offset by an uptick in migrants? How can we work to keep young talent around?

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Electronic card spending data recorded the first significant drop since mid-2022 this October.

Spending in retail industries fell 0.7 per cent compared to September, down by $44 million, Stats NZ said in a press release.

Demand for larger items has declined by 7.8 percent, and spending on apparel has fallen 8 percent.

Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says retailers are staring down the barrel of a difficult period, as spending is projected to decline for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

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Latest data shows market confidence has returned to New Zealand.

Stats NZ's monthly price report showed airfares, petrol and food prices were down across the board, and the NZX has shot up by 5 points in November.

Milford Asset Management Jeremy Hutton explains what this means for the coming months.

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The incoming Government is expected to contend with a billion-dollar hole in its books created by the upcoming ETS auction. 

The final auction of units under the Emissions Trading Scheme for 2023 isn't expected to clear on December 6.

Most participants in the carbon market expect this auction to fail, on the grounds that a full year's worth of units will need to be sold.

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains why this predicted failure will be good for the market.

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All sides of the soon-to-be Government want talks completed as soon as possible.

David Seymour, Winston Peters and Chris Luxon sat down together this morning for the first time, in Auckland.

This meeting will be the first of several collaborative meetings in the city centre this week.

ZB political editor Jason Walls says nothing significant has been divulged- but all three parties are keen to get a Government formed quickly.

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President Joe Biden hopes to put the shaky US-China relationship in a better place at APEC.

The summit for Pacific Rim leaders will include a highly anticipated meeting between Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping- the first on American soil in over 7 years.

US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says security has been tightened in the Bay Area ahead of the meeting.

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