Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A Wellington City Councillor believes the Council will have to borrow money to fund the quake-prone Town Hall.

It faces yet another cost increase, which would add between $70 million to $147 million to the $182 million budget.

Council will vote on approving the budget in a matter of weeks.

Councillor Ray Chung says it's annoying council's continuing with business as usual.

"We're going to have a real shortfall. It could be $1 billion dollars- the valuations of all our assets have gone up, but we haven't got the money to pay for the insurance for it."

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An alternative theory about the mysterious origins of the white powder on the Ranfurly Shield has been proposed.

The iconic log o' wood was split in two after the Hawke's Bay Magpies dropped the Shield at an after-party celebrating Saturday's win.

Ranfurly Shield restorer James Dwan says the white powder seen in photos is likely plaster from earlier repairs of the famous taonga.

"I put some plaster into the centre part of the shield a couple of years ago to try and reinforce it, because it's a pretty weak area in the metal work itself. I've got a funny feeling that's what's happened.

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A booking system is being set up for the Tongariro Crossing.

The Department of Conservation says it's a plan to manage visitor numbers- it'll be free to book and not compulsory.

Tour company Adrift Tongariro co-owner Stewart Barclay says it's a trial for now.

"And it will be compulsory in a wee while, maybe next summer. It's a bit of a dry run test, really."

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A political commentator says he doubts an incorrect email sent by the Council of Trade Unions was a genuine mistake.

The CTU's email sent on Sunday night incorrectly claimed National would remove policies like 10 days sick leave and the Winter Energy Payment.

It has now clarified it meant to say they are things National has opposed in the past.

Commentator Peter Dunne says the CTU economist previously gave advice to Grant Robertson.

He says they'd know what was supported by whom.

"And I think the fact that they can get so much of it so wrong suggests that he's either not done his job, or more likely, it was a deliberate attempt to deceive."

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Weet-Bix will soon be back in trolleys at the Warehouse.

Sanitarium has reversed a decision announced last week to withhold supply - although still stocking supermarkets.

The Warehouse's $6 charge for Weet-Bix is lower than other outlets.

Chief Product Officer Tania Benyon says despite Sanitarium's change of heart, they still want the issue looked into.

"What led Sanitarium to this decision, and just to make sure that the new grocery commissioner and the Commerce Commission are able to ensure that there is fairness."

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Australian homeowners can breathe a sigh of relief - with interest rates on hold for the 4th month in a row.

The Reserve Bank Governor has today handed down a decision to keep the Official Cash Rate at 4.1 percent.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the Reserve Bank will be looking to bring inflation down, but stubbornly high fuel prices threaten to disrupt the downswing.

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The mystery surrounding the damage to the Ranfurly Shield has compounded.

The Shield's craftsman has cast doubt over Hawke's Bay's explanation that the rugby taonga split in two when dropped on a concrete floor.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave shares his theory here.

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New data paints a 'dire' picture of our children's academic abilities, sparking concern from experts.

Results from the 2023 NCEA Literacy and Numeracy assessments show that 2 out of 3 Year 10 students passed the reading component and only half passed writing and numeracy.

The writing results are a step up from last year's pilot, but reading and mathematics skills are down.

Secondary Principals' Association President Vaughan Couillault says these results are worrying, but primary schools haven't equipped students with the foundational skills needed.

"That's not to portion blame to our primary colleagues, but the prep work hasn't been done. And then you throw over the last 2-3 years of disruption- we're weighing and measuring students who were very disadvantaged." 

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Is Chris Luxon chickening out of the press debate tonight? Of course he is chickening out.

Sure, his campaign diary will be full and it’ll be a pain in the butt to rearrange things to fit in an afternoon and evening in Christchurch, because it is a several hours long operation to get ready for a debate and then do the debate.

But if he really wanted to do it, he would. He just doesn’t.

Fair enough- he's leading in the polls, and there’s no reason to do that debate because Luxon's not great in long debates and interviews. I mean he holds his own, but he gets tripped up on detail.

The TV3 Paddy Gower debate- he got himself tied up in knots over whether kids who take MDMA at festivals are criminals or not.

The 2 hour long interview with Mike Hosking yesterday- he said it was up to the Police Minister to fire the Police Commissioner. But actually it’s not, it's up to the Prime Minister… which would be him.

Those don’t matter too much because they’re not big missteps- yet.

So doing the debate would just help Chippy. And remember, it was that TV3 debate where Chippy came out firing that actually breathed life into his campaign again.

Chippy wants it badly, because he needs the audience. Luxon doesn’t.

So yeah, Luxon’s chickening out. But he’s also making what is - for him - a smart strategic decision.

And the best of all is that we don’t have to sit through another debate in this boring campaign. 

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NHS bosses are warning are warning patients to expect extreme disruption in hospitals ahead of a planned walkout.

Junior doctors and consultants have staged a three-day joint walkout in England amid ongoing disputes over pay.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says one million appointments have had to be put on hold or rescheduled as a result of these strikes.

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