Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Hospitalisations of young children that could have been prevented with better primary care have dramatically risen.

Te Whatu Ora data shows such preventable hospitalisations for children up to four years old jumped 35 percent in the year ending June.

That's nationally - and it's even higher for Auckland alone, at 66 percent.

Interim chief clinical officer, Dr Richard Sullivan, says more young people are turning up with pneumonia and gastro illnesses.

"So we're really focusing on how we support our communities, our primary care colleagues- to really turn that dial around."

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The Warehouse says the Grocery Commissioner needs to chop-chop on reform.

The retailer claimed an investigation into Sanitarium briefly stopping its supply of Weet-Bix isn't happening quick enough.

Sanitarium kept up supply to supermarkets.

Warehouse Chief Product Officer Tania Benyon says combined with online grocery startup Supie failing - it's reason for prompt action from the Commissioner.

"He should really use the powers that he has to stop that. We want a fair and level playing field, and he is the person able to do that."

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Whakaari Management Limited has been found guilty of health and safety failings ahead of the island's 2019 eruption.

47 people were on Whakaari- 22 died and dozens were seriously injured.

Newstalk ZB's Chelsea Daniels says the company was found guilty of one charge, but not the other under the Health and Safety Work Act.

"What I took away from the verdict was that WML (Whakaari Management Limited) didn't ensure adequate risk assessments were done relating to those tours happening on the island."

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No relief yet from devastating bushfires in rural Queensland.

More than 50 homes have been burnt down in Tara, about 300 kilometres west of Brisbane- and two people have died.

Conditions are expected to worsen tomorrow, with gusty winds and temperatures topping 40 degrees.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says they don't have exact numbers on how many homes have been destroyed.

"Because they haven't been able to send assessment teams out to other parts of the fire ground, there could be dozens more. We simply don't know at this point."

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The drawn out saga of Eddie Jones' exit as Wallabies coach is officially over.

Rugby Australia have confirmed they've accepted Jones' resignation - just 10 months into his five-year deal.

It comes less than a fortnight after the 63-year-old declared his commitment to the role.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

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Oranga Tamariki's chief social worker says it's a complete tragedy every time a child dies.

An agency source has told Stuff at least 57 children have been killed since the child protection agency was established in 2017, and almost half had a record with the ministry before their death.

Peter Whitcombe says it's important every time a child dies through homicide - that the agency works to understand its role, and what can be learned.

"Family situations change, often there can be new relationships, there can be things that become really significant stressors. We can only act on what we know."

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He's only been in the job for a few weeks, but already the new Grocery Commissioner Pierre van Heerden is dealing with the brutal, entrenched reality of the sector that he's been charged with holding to account.

It was pretty extraordinary, really. Just amazing timing that on the very same day as online retailer Supie was put into voluntary administration, van Heerden published his top priorities for the Grocery Commissioner role.

I think there's one word that would probably summarise all those priorities- competition. 

The focus of the Grocery Commissioner has to be fostering a properly competitive environment across the grocery sector. And an environment where he or she cannot be afraid of calling out any flicker, any scintilla of anti-competitive behaviour by the supermarket duopoly.

I get it, I get that it's complex, I get that there are land covenants, wholesale supply setups- there are all sorts of contractual bits and pieces, all manner of different advantageous rules, systems and get-ups that help the main two players.

It's easy to be cynical about the effectiveness of our various Government Commissioners when the Grocery Commissioner role was established.

I, like many others, felt like it was a bit of cop-out. We questioned how effective that person could actually be.

But here's the thing- there was a huge weight, a massive weight of public support behind the Grocery Commissioner's mission.

Kiwis don't need any more Commerce Commission studies to tell us we are getting a crappy deal in aisle 3.

Pierre van Heerden, rest assured in the eyes of the public, cannot be more assertive. He cannot be too aggressive or too outspoken.

But there's one measure, one measure alone by which he and his role will be judged. And that measure is competition.

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Boris Johnson's breaking into the broadcasting industry following his stint in politics.

The former Prime Minister has signed on with right-wing channel GB News as a presenter, programme maker and commentator.

Johnson promises to deliver his 'unvarnished' views on a range of topics, and will play a key role in the channel's coverage of the US and UK elections.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Johnson plans to 'showcase the power of Britain around the world'.

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Tonight on The Huddle, current affairs commentator Josie Pagani and Kiwiblog founder and Curia pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

The Rugby World Cup has finally come to an end- with South Africa narrowly beating out New Zealand to take home the title. What did we think of the result? Was this a fair victory? Have TMOs gone too far?

Online grocery startup Supie has gone into voluntary administration after two years of operation. Are we sad to see this development? Does the supermarket duopoly need competition- or regulation? 

Winston Peters has spoken out and given his first post-election interview. He won't give much away, but expressed interest in getting negotiations wrapped up quickly. What's his goal here?

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The incoming National-led Government is expected to step up for two key international summits.

The Pacific Islands Forum and APEC are set to happen within the next few weeks- and it's likely Luxon will attend to represent New Zealand on a wider scale.

NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan explains what to expect in the coming weeks.

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