Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A Burning Man festival-goer says although it's very wet at the US desert event - it hasn't dampened the mood.

Nevada authorities are investigating a death after storms swept through, closing vehicle access.

People are trudging through mud and being urged to shelter in place and conserve food and water.

But Chris Knight says there's no chaos - and people are still partying.

He says some are anxious, but people are prepared because it's an event held in one of the harshest environments on Earth.

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The Problem Gambling Foundation says gambling outlets should take note.

Internal Affairs has applied for a temporary suspension of SkyCity's gambling licence, after a former gambler complained.

It's accused Sky City of not meeting Host Responsibility rules, relating to detecting a client's continuous play.

The share market reacted to the application by wiping $260 million off the company's market value today.

Foundation spokesperson Andree Froude says this suspension will warn SkyCity and other gambling operators about the seriousness of breaching the rules.

"We want this to be a warning for other operators and for SkyCity that it's really important that they do meet their legal requirements."

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Over half of Australians are set to reject the inclusion of an Indigenous advisory panel, according to a new poll.

Data shows only 38 percent of voters intend to vote in favour of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament, with 53 being opposed to the proposal.

Australian correspondent Andrew Macfarlane says this poll follows a massive push in favour of the campaign, where John Farnham shared his support- and signature song.

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The Warriors are giving their fans the option to purchase a 'Finals FastPass' as demand for tickets soars.

For $49, fans will be able to buy their way towards priority access to tickets for the highly-anticipated final.

The fee won't guarantee tickets- but it gives fans a higher chance.

Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further.

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ACT's new energy policy is being praised as a helpful solution for New Zealand's future.

The party has reiterated its pledge to overturn the ban on oil and gas exploration, and revealed it will scrap the Lake Onslow pumped hydro project.

ACT is also campaigning on cutting red tape for offshore wind power projects - and bringing in a regulatory framework for carbon capture technology.

Energy Resources Aotearoa chief executive John Carnegie says ACT's policy announcement takes New Zealand a step closer to affordable energy.

"We only need to look over the ditch at Australia- their standard of living is proof of what can be achieved if countries utilise resources to create jobs and abundant, low-cost and resilient energy."

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Fresh off the back of a successful business delegation to India, Auckland Business Chamber CEO Simon Bridges is set to take 30 businesses to China.

Despite the unstable economic climate, Bridges still thinks there's plenty of commercial opportunity in China.

He says New Zealand does significantly more trade there than with India and there's room for more partnerships and relationships.

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Te Whatu Ora says it's put a fair offer on the table as it stares down the barrel of an unprecedented strike by senior doctors and dentists.

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists members will walk off the job for two hours tomorrow from midday.

About 250 planned care procedures are likely to be deferred, although emergency care is still available.

Te Whatu Ora's Andrew Slater says they're offering salary increases of up to 12.9 percent over the next 12 months.

"Anything more than what we've got on the table would require further reprioritisation."

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The Council of Trade Unions are defending their ad attack on National's leader.

Their billboards and newspaper ads call Chris Luxon 'out of touch' and 'too much risk'.

National's campaign chair Chris Bishop is accusing Labour of being behind it, but the CTU president says they're not in cahoots with Labour.

President Richard Wagstaff says it's their job to call out someone who's 'going after working people'.

"He's the leader, the buck stops with him. He's put out a set of policies that will undermine working people- it's our job to call him out."

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The Finance Minister is defending the CTU's controversial attack ad, claiming it's a technique favoured by both sides.

Billboards and newspaper ads from the Council of Trade Unions describe Chris Luxon as 'out of touch' and 'too much risk'.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson says it's the CTU's right to highlight relevant issues in a democratic society.

"And they wouldn't be alone in doing that, the Taxpayers' Union have done numerous screengrabs of me, unflattering photos- and they're a surrogate of National and the ACT Party."

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Every Monday until the election The Front Bench will take on the biggest talking points of the election campaign. Heather du Plessis-Allan, Newstalk ZB Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper, former Business NZ CEO Phil O’Reilly and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills have the insight word and analysis. 

The attack ads are already being published, with the CTU going after Chris Luxon on the front page of the Herald and on billboards across the country. Could this be the most negative campaign in recent memory? Is going negative an effective strategy?

All eyes this weekend were on Labour and National’s campaign launches – who had the better launch? And was it better for Chris Luxon to use his family, or for Chris Hipkins to involve former Prime Minister Helen Clark?

Labour has pledged to extend free dental care to those 29 and under by 2026. Is that good policy? Is it better than the pledge to slash GST off fruit and veg?

The campaign is already getting distracted by protests – should we get used to this over the coming weeks?

And the panel discuss what they think the main themes for Election 2023 will be.

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