Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Ministry of Social Development is copping heat for a $36 million program connecting employers and beneficiaries.

It's despite a Treasury warning the plan was dubious value for money.

Employers and Manufacturer's Association CEO Brett O'Reilly says it's just not needed.

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan there are already private sector options to match employers and potential employees.

O'Reilly says there are options like Seek and Trade Me.

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Australians are gearing up to vote tomorrow in their first referendum in decades.

The country will have its say on whether an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice should be introduced, and change the Constitution.

Latest polls show 45 percent of Aussies are planning to vote no, 38 percent yes, and 17 percent remain undecided.

Guardian Australia's political reporter Amy Remeikis told Heather du Plessis-Allan the country is more divided than ever.

“The country has got a pretty deep scar across it, and I don’t think we can pretend that it’s going to be business as normal come October 15 when the referendum dust starts to settle.”

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All Blacks coach Ian Foster has made a huge call ahead of the team’s with Ireland.

Wing Mark Telea has been dropped from the side for the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, for apparently missing team curfew.

But that’s the least of the All Blacks’ concerns as they go into Sunday morning’s quarter as underdogs against the World Number 1.

NZ Herald rugby writer Liam Napier joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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Labour claims it's enjoying a last-minute surge in leaked internal polling.

It puts Labour on 30 percent, National on 35, the Greens on 13, Act on 8, and Te Pati Maori on 4.

It would have the left bloc overtaking the right - 47 percent to 43 percent.

Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls is urging scepticism.

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan with New Zealand First on 6 percent, this still makes Winston Peters kingmaker.

“I would take this with more than a pinch of salt. I mean, we don’t talk about parties’ internal polls like they’re the gospel, but this is just a way the Labour Party will shore up their support and get to the polls.”

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Israel's military has told the UN 1.1 million people living in north Gaza will need to leave in the next 24 hours.

A UN Spokesperson says everyone living north of Wadi will need to relocate to southern Gaza.

1300 people have been killed in Israel, and more than 1400 in Gaza since Hamas launched its surprise attack on the city.

US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with the Palestinian President in the next few hours.

“I think really he wants to stop any spillover from the war between Israel and Hamas.”

Mitchinson says various diplomats will be making visits to allies to shore up support.

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All Blacks wing Mark Telea has been dropped for the weekend's quarterfinal with Ireland, after being stood down for disciplinary reasons.

It's understood the Blues winger - who's scored three tries in two matches this World Cup - breached team curfew rules, and will be replaced by Leicester Fainga'anuku.

Other quarterfinals this weekend are South Africa vs France, England vs Fiji and Wales vs Argentina.

Weekend Sport host Jason Pine joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.

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Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau has issued five of her councillors with a code of conduct complaint, alleging they breached confidentiality.

Whanau confirmed she received a complaint about the conduct of five councillors from Deputy Mayor Laurie Foon and, after seeking advice, decided to proceed with issuing the complaint.

“To assist me in my consideration of these allegations, I have initiated an independent review to establish if any breach has occurred. That review will be undertaken by Linda Clark, partner at law firm Dentons Kensington Swan.

“Given my role under the Code of Conduct, I do not intend to make any further comment on this matter until the independent review has been completed.”

Four of the councillors - Diane Calvert, Ray Chung, Tony Randle and Nicola Young - issued a joint press release this afternoon outlining the nature of the complaint.

One other unnamed councillor has also reportedly been issued with the complaint.

The councillors say the complaint comes after a public-excluded meeting earlier in October where Wellington City Council discussed the future of the Reading Cinema complex on Courtenay Place.

Despite the meeting being held behind closed doors, the Herald understands a multimillion-dollar deal, involving the council buying the land underneath the Reading Cinema, was under consideration.

It was discussed in a public-excluded part of the meeting. Reasons given for this included allowing the local authority to carry on negotiations, including commercial and industrial negotiations, without prejudice or disadvantage.

At the time, Whanau said it was “getting really boring” that some of her councillors continued to speak to the media about confidential council meetings.

“It creates an environment where the public does not have the full picture and loses faith in our processes and decision-making,” Whanau said.

The councillors say Whanau left “a clear breadcrumb trail about a deal with Reading Cinema making it easy for the media to identify the project”.

“So why is she attacking and blaming us?”

Councillor Diane Calvert said the complaint is an attempt to silence councillors.

Councillor Diane Calvert. Photo / Mark Mitchell

“The mayor and chief executive are trying to silence and discredit the independent councillors; the ones who are most concerned about the city’s finances. It is an orchestrated attack on democracy.”

The complaint also references the councillors’ concerns about the Town Hall’s cost blow-out and the financial challenges facing Wellington.

The Town Hall budget recently exploded from $182 million to a possible $329m.

Since the Town Hall was declared earthquake-prone and closed in 2013, the cost of the work has grown from $43m to $60m to $90m to $112m and most recently to $182m in 2022.

Vita Molyneux is a Wellington-based journalist who covers breaking news and stories from the capital. She has been a journalist since 2018 and joined the Herald in 2021.

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Anti-Semitic incidents have surged in Britain in the three days since Hamas attacked Israel.

The Community Security Trust, a charity focused on protecting the UK's Jewish community has reported 89 anti-Semitic incidents in the region- a 320 percent increase.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says property has been vandalised, flags have been taken down and security has been amplified.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Curia pollster and Kiwiblog editor David Farrar and Neale Jones from Capital PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! 

What did we think of last night's political polls? Do we think the election result will be different from what they show? Will NZ First still be the kingmaker party?

Are we surprised more New Zealanders are calling for a referendum on the Treaty, according to recent data?

A start-up, Tracksuit, is requiring their employees to be transparent about their salaries. Would you work somewhere where your salary is visible to co-workers?

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An expert warns the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict comes with ramifications for investors.

The death toll on both Palestinian and Israeli sides has reached nearly 2500 in total, with 338,000 in Gaza displaced.

Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds says the impact of this tragedy can be weighed against the economic complications surrounding the Russia-Ukraine war.

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