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National's Chris Luxon has been quick to slam Labour's 'economic mismanagement' after the PREFU revealed Government debt has blown out further.

Treasury's latest update is forecasting no recession, but shows the Government will be in deficit longer than expected and take on billions more debt.

Luxon says Kiwis are worried about losing their homes and taking on second jobs as the Government continues to spend.

"What's obvious is that Hipkins and Robertson have no idea how to run the economy, they're running it into the ground. And that's just saddling up a bad set of circumstances for future generations of Kiwis, and that's not on."

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Health advocates are celebrating the release of a new DIY cervical screening test kit for women.

This test, available from today, will allow women to use a swab to detect the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes more than 95 percent of cervical cancers.

Te Whatu Ora National Screening Unit clinical lead Dr Jane O’Hallahan says this 'game-changing' test kit will encourage more people to screen themselves.

"At this point, you will need to seek out your provider- but the test is so much easier to do. You can do it yourself, it's a simple swab that you place 4 or 5 centimetres up- and move it around, take it out and put in a container. This will be a game changer."

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The future of Mount Ruapehu's skifields remain up in the air.

The Tuwharetoa iwi group has abandoned its bid to take over the liquidated Ruapehu Alpine Lifts.

Ruapehu District Mayor Weston Kirton says there are reports the iwi now plans to take legal action, if the sale isn't stopped.

He says it's a sad situation.

"They thought they were going to be bidding- then they come in out of left field and say that they're not going to support a new bidder to actually go ahead with this negotiation." 

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The Finance Minister is standing by the Government's record, after Treasury today laid the books bare.

The Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update suggest our recession's likely over, but shows the Government deficit will continue longer than predicted in the Budget.

Debt's now expected to peak at 22.8 percent of GDP by 2025.

Grant Robertson says our Government borrowing wasn't for nothing.

"Lots of New Zealanders alive today who wouldn't have been during Covid, businesses that have been able to survive- yes, we had to borrow significant amounts of money to get through Covid. Most political parties supported us doing that."

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An important balance needs to be struck on welcoming more residents.

Provisional Stats NZ figures show a net migration gain of 96,200 people in the year to July, a new record.

Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchod says we need skills from abroad, but it needs careful management.

"Those people who are coming in- many of them are going to go into our essential services, like healthcare, where we need staff. That infrastructural pressure that we see from more people in the country- it's got to be balanced against the provision of services that we all need right now."

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National's promising to spend our money on the right things, if elected next month.

Treasury's today revealed the Pre-Election Economic and Fiscal Update.

It suggests our recession's likely over - but shows the Government will be in deficit for longer, and take on billions more in debt.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Opposition's now crunching its numbers.

"What National's now got to do is sit down and look at the meaning of these figures that have been presented today. And they'll come up with their fiscal strategy within the next few weeks, so it'll be interesting to see what they make out of it."

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The Australian Government has confirmed its centrepiece housing fund bill will pass through Parliament, breaking a months-long impasse.

Australia's Green Party pledged support, meaning the Housing Australia Future Fund has the necessary majority support in the senate.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the housing crisis is going strong, with affordable rental properties growing further out of reach for Australians.

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The Warriors' do-or-die NRL playoff match against the Newcastle Knights at Mt Smart on Saturday has officially sold out.

Their first home playoff since 2008 sold out less than an hours after tickets were released to the general public.

ZB sports news director Clay Wilson explains further.

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Auckland Council is asking for proposals for a national stadium in the city.

The working group - formed in July - now wants expressions of interest to assess.

The winning venue will need to be capable of holding major events, have links to public transport and feature a retractable roof.

Chair and councillor Shane Henderson says the stadium should be able to compete internationally for big ticket events.

"Auckland's done this very well in the recent past, but we don't have a lot coming up in the future. This is one of the questions that has been around for many years around the city, so we want to just nail it."

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China has labelled the arrest of a parliamentary researcher on suspicion of spying 'slander' and a 'political farce'.

Over the weekend, it came out that a parliamentary researcher with links to key political figures had been arrested over allegation of spying for China.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the UK Government is now under pressure to take action and reconsider China as a political threat.

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