Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

I want to start off by reading some Winston Peters quotes, straight from the source.

"We waited until today to find out for the first time that the Prime Minister's office received information about the March 15 terrorist attack before the massacre took place."

"Jacinda Ardern should be called to the hearing and asked to explain this appalling lack of transparency to the New Zealand public, let alone to the deputy Prime Minister and Government coalition partner."

Those are the words of the former deputy Prime Minister, Winston Peters. And while they whipped up an intense response among an Ardern-hating, conspiracy-nurturing social media crowd- the words are demonstrably wrong.

They're not just wrong, that's not just an opinion, they are demonstrably wrong.

We did not wait until now to find out about the Prime Minister's office receiving information concerning the attacks shortly before they began.

We, the New Zealand public, to whom Winston Peters refers, were told the next day. It was widely publicised at the time- the manifesto was sent to a range of recipients, including media and politicians, nine minutes before the attack began.

Someone in Parliament called the police as soon as they saw it.

Winston Peters has since published a second post on social media channels clarifying that his complaint was referring to the fact that he wasn't personally informed about these events prior to the public press conference.

And maybe that complaint has more legitimacy. Maybe that is actually a fair point.

But if that's the case, isn't it weird that he didn't raise it at the time of press conference?

Isn't it weird that he or his staff didn't immediately call the Prime Minister's office right after that press conference on March 16 to question why he hadn't been informed first?

I can only see two possible scenarios here.

Either Winston Peters and his advisors somehow completely missed the detail about the manifesto email at the time of massacre, despite him being deputy Prime Minister - it was referenced in the colonial inquiry, he thought he saw an opportunity and he immediately swung for it.

That's one possibility, the other is perhaps something more cynical.

He knew full well the manifesto was released a few minutes in advance, but he chose to deliberately spread a falsehood intimating that we, the New Zealand public, had been misled.

Either way, I think it speaks volumes that Winston Peters has so far refused to delete a demonstrably false statement.

I don't care about him being forced to apologise or anything like that. To post it in the first place is one thing, to leave it up on those social media platforms with a conspiratorial tone to fester away- I think that speaks to character.

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Finnish authorities have recently claimed that the rupture of a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea may have been caused by an anchor dragging along the seabed.

Russia was initially suspected of causing the damage as retribution for Finland joining NATO, an accusation Putin denied.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Finland's NBI has since focused their probe on the Chinese NewNew Polar Bear container vessel, which was missing an anchor.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett and current affairs commentator Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Business owners in Auckland want a bylaw to allow them to trespass people from public spaces who are a nuisance. They say they feel like downtown Auckland has become too dangerous- are these concerns valid?

Wellington City Council has voted in favour of pouring millions more into the redevelopment of the Town Hall- is this a good investment? 

National's Chris Bishop has opted to sell his shares as he prepares to take a spot in Cabinet- is this a good idea?

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Newly released provisional estimates from Stats NZ show the country has experience rapid population growth after two years of shrinkage.

Auckland's population expanded the fastest in the year to June, with the region gaining 47,000 more people.

Otago, Waikato, and the Bay of Plenty also grew faster than the New Zealand average.

Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says Auckland's economy stands to benefit from an expanding workforce.

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Big tech companies are posting strong sales results this quarter- with AI aiding this economic turnaround.

ChatGPT kicked off the recent AI wave, with chip company Nvidia spurring this growth.

Microsoft and Google have seen sales up by 11 percent to 12 percent, with their new AI features and tools generating interest.

Milford Asset Management Portfolio Manager Felix Fok explains what this technology could do for the future of work and commerce.

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New Zealand's largest bank, ANZ, has lifted their mortgage and deposit rates by as much as 30 basis points.

As of today, the bank's six-month mortgage rates will increase by 26 points, its four and five-year rates will rise by 25 points, and its three-year rates by 20 points.

ANZ has also hiked their one-year, 18-month, and two-year rates by between 10 and 14 points.

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains the economic factors driving up these rates.

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The outgoing Government has joined international calls for a humanitarian pause, as violence in Israel and Gaza escalates.

Chris Hipkins, in consultation with the incoming Government, has requested humanitarian corridors in Gaza and designated safe areas that can't be targeted.

ZB political editor Jason Walls says this pause would allow aid organisations to go into established safe areas to provide resources, aid and relief.

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World Rugby has approved several key changes and a new 12-strong biennial competition.

The concept will start in 2026 and bring together the Six Nations teams, Sanzaar sides and two others in the Pacific such as Japan and Fiji.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what this might mean for the future of rugby.

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One prospective Cabinet minister appears to have learned from his predecessor's mistakes.

Senior National MP Chris Bishop has sold his shares in Kiwi Income Property and plans to sell off his further shares in Paysauce Ltd, Telstra and Parrotdog.

Former National MP Steven Joyce disagrees that ministers should have to sell their shares once they get into office.

"You keep lifting the bar higher and higher in terms of what people can't do while they're a politician- which makes it less attractive for people. In principle- the Cabinet manual makes it clear people can do things in their private capacity."

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Former All Black Sir Bryan Williams is voicing concern over the future of the Rugby World Cup for Tier Two nations.

World Rugby has announced an expansion to 24 teams for the next event in Australia in 2027, including two extra pools and a round of 16.

There'll also be a 12-strong Nations League starting in 2026, which will pit the Six Nations sides against the Rugby Championship teams, plus two invitees.

Williams says this news is 'disappointing' for nations like Samoa and Fiji- and claims there'll be an imbalance at the next World Cup.

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