Holiday Breakfast

A former Defence Minister says our geographical separation should negate the need to up our defence spending.

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's accused New Zealand of freeloading off the US military by spending 2 percent of GDP on defence. 

He's revealed expectations that US allies spend 3.5 percent of GDP, at a global security summit in Singapore. 

But Wayne Mapp says the Pacific isn't facing threats of invasion, the same way NATO countries are.  

"Everything that comes to New Zealand costs more. Every place we go to costs more, but there is one advantage we get out of it, and that's security." 

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A star-studded musical celebration is in the works for the United States' 250th birthday, but more big acts have been backing away.

Trump's administration had publicised multiple headliners for a 'Freedom 250' concert series between 25 June and 10 July, but Bret Michaels, Martina McBride, Young MC and the Commodores all confirmed they were pulling out.

This leaves Vanilla Ice, Milli Vanilli, and Flo Rida in the lineup, but Trump is reportedly considering cancelling the musical performances altogether. 

US correspondent Richard Arnold says Trump is considering hosting a 'Make America Great Again rally' instead.

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New polling data shows One Nation is gaining more of a political foothold in Australia.

The latest The Australian Financial Review/Redbridge Group/Accent Research poll says that support for One Nation has jumped four percentage points to 31, while Labor's vote is on 28 percent.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says leader Pauline Hanson is proving popular among prospective voters, with many dissatisfied with the Labor party. 

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Oil prices fell significantly throughout last week as discussions regarding an Iran deal continued to take place.

Prices are down around 8 percent for the week with Brent crude around $91 a barrel.

Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says rumours regarding an imminent Hormuz opening agreement caused prices to drop on Friday, but things aren't fully stable.

"Mediators had sent a proposal to Trump for an agreement and then noted on his Truth Social account that he was going to make what he called a 'final determination' on the Iran issue. He was in this meeting, but we weren't that lucky." 

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A group of four women and nine children have secured flights to Australia from Damascus over the weekend, re-sparking conversations about ISIS brides returning to their home countries. 

Additionally, associates of a recently disbanded neo-Nazi group were removed from an ANZAC ceremony for booing and heckling the speaker.

Despite the group officially disbanding in January due to hate speech laws, Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the individuals are still active.  

"They still hang out together with secret handshakes and, you know, code words and whatnot, because they've all got IQs of about room temperature," he told Andrew Dickens. 

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In an effort to make newborn hearing checks a more comfortable process for babies and parents Christchurch Hospital has developed an innovation to replace cool gels. 

"Exhausted mothers after breastfeeding all night would be anxious that we'd wake the baby up when we were screening in the maternity units," Christchurch Hospital's Newborn Hearing Screening Programme co-ordinator Angela Deken told Andrew Dickens.

"And so, the kudos really goes to one of the screeners, Pam Spark, who just kept pushing and trying to find solutions."

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Australian comedian Elouise Eftos fights against the culture of self-deprecation with her tongue-in-cheek self-dubbed title of Australia's first attractive comedian.

Eftos spoke to Dickens about the discomfort people display when someone is outwardly confident and secure. 

"Why is being a confident woman that knows she's funny and attractive and smart, why is that so confronting to people?", she asked.

Eftos is performing 'Aphrodite' at the New Zealand Comedy Festival on May 15-16 where she will explore complicated feeling towards the collective man, dating, and sexual liberation.

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Todd McClay will sign the free trade deal with India in Delhi today following uncertainty as New Zealand First pulled support and Labour held out until the last minute.

Earlier this month some of New Zealand’s top exporters and business associations signed an open letter calling on all political parties to back the agreement. 

India New Zealand Business Council deputy chair Tony Martin told Andrew Dickens, "I think deep down, you know, there's a very strong sense from both sides of the political spectrum that this is the right thing for New Zealand to do."

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Christchurch’s new One New Zealand Stadium at Te Kaha officially opened this weekend with a sold out match between the Crusaders and Waratahs on Friday night.

The All Blacks’ first test at the venue on July 4, and the Warriors’ first NRL match at the stadium in June both quickly sold out, while Robbie Williams and the Foo Fighters are set to perform in late 2026 / early 2027. 

Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge says the One New Zealand Stadium is ready to replace Eden Park as New Zealand's national stadium, despite being half the size.

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The government is putting funds towards repairs needed on New Zealand's great bike trails due to storm damage.

It is expected that the Hauraki Rail Trail, that's been shut since January, the Waikato River Trail, and a connecting track on the Tasman Great Taste Trail will need approximately $800,000 to fix. 

"If you think about the Hauraki Rail Trail, it is absolutely spectacular, but it does mean that it is vulnerable to weather events, so there's a bit of a balance," Tourism Minister Louise Upston told Andrew Dickens.

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