Endurance swimmer Jono Ridler has completed a 1367km journey, swimming the length of the North Island, in an effort to raise awareness against bottom trawling. 

After getting out of the water on Saturday, Ridler led a convoy of people to the steps of Parliament, where multiple ministers waited, and he was presented with a taonga.

Ridler spoke to Andrew Dickens about the difficult journey, "a good percentage of the time it was very tough," he said. 

"The further we got south, the tougher it got as well with the cold water, jellyfish, and, and long sessions, spending a lot of time in my own head trying to battle through all of that."

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The Government's 2034 tourism target is to lift arrivals to 4.78 million, but a report for MBIE shows that this could require up to $3.5 billion in extra infrastructure.

Regions like Queenstown are already facing pressure on their infrastructure with Destination Queenstown and Lake Wanaka Tourism CEO Mat Woods saying they are 'bursting at the seams'. 

He told Andrew Dickens, "we're having to actually release treated wastewater into the Shotover River, which is far from ideal when you consider a 100% pure sort of image that we like to give our international visitors about New Zealand."

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Actors Cliff Curtis and Jason Momoa, and director Taika Waititi, have purchased Auckland-based Studio West with the goal to bring more jobs and Polynesian storytelling to the country.

"It's still a pretty tough time for the screen industry, but it is some positive news in the middle of all of that," Screen Production and Development Association President, Irene Gardiner said. 

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US President Donald Trump has issued threats to Iran in an R-rated speech as his ultimatum to open the Strait of Hormuz comes to an end. 

He has said he will target Iran’s critical infrastructure if the strait is not reopened before Monday.

Jeffrey Price, senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute, John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, joined Andrew Dickens to chat about what to expect as this deadline rolls around.  

"President Trump is, known to be unpredictable - he's advertised, that his staff has advertised that as a virtue," Price said. 

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Australia’s new hate speech laws have hit a speedbump.  

Parliament was recalled early to pass reform that would create serious offences for hate in the wake of the Bondi terror attack.  

However, the Opposition and the Greens are refusing to accept the laws in their current form.  

Australia Correspondent Murray Olds told Andrew Dickens the Opposition is saying the timeline is ridiculous, and that the bill is unsalvageable in its current form. 

He says everyone was in favour of fighting antisemitism as hard as they could, but it's now dissolved into a political bunfight.  

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For many, Six60 is an undeniable part of the New Zealand summer soundscape.  

Their classics such as ‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’, ‘The Greatest’, and ‘Please Don’t Go’ are a staple of every backyard barbeque summer get together, and soon a few new songs will be joining the playlists.  

Their fifth studio album ‘Right Here Right Now’ is set to be released in February, but two new singles are already available.  

Frontman Matiu Walters told Andrew Dickens that hands down, it’s their best music ever.  

“Quite often music can get quite tedious and boring if you’re just trying to plough through it all.” 

“But the time feels right and we have some stories to tell, and it’s all captured in this new album and this new music.”  

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A tourism leader in Kaikoura says they're having their busiest summer season since a major earthquake almost a decade ago.  

Visitor numbers reached about 220 thousand in November, up nearly 30 thousand on the year before. 

Destination Kaikoura Chair Chris Sturgeon told Andrew Dickens tourism and hospitality players says things are booming. 

He says there's a positive feeling throughout the town, and says Kaikoura's beautiful landscape offers tourists a true New Zealand location. 

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President Donald Trump is threatening to deploy troops to Minnesota, with heated clashes on the streets over the presence of ICE. 

US Homeland Security says a federal officer has shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel as he tried to make an arrest. 

Protests have erupted in the city since an anti-immigration officer shot a woman dead last week. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Andrew Dickens things are very intense. 

He says Minneapolis’ Mayor, Jacob Frey, says the city’s being put in an impossible situation.  

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Online hate speech in New Zealand is becoming more targeted and our system can't keep pace. 

Netsafe's latest survey shows since 2018, the proportion of ethnicity-based hate speech has risen from 18% to 36%, becoming the most common reason people are targeted. 

Political-based hate has also increased to 25%. 

Netsafe Chief Online Safety Officer Sean Lyons told Andrew Dickens regulation is a really important part of dealing with it. 

He says that when people clearly understand where the laws sit and there’s a framework to deal with that harmful content, then the platforms can better deal with it. 

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Calls for the Government to force streaming giants to invest in New Zealand content as local productions struggle.  

The Screen Producers' Association says Netflix, Disney, Apple and Amazon should be forced to commission local programmes or pay into a fund from their local revenue  

President Irene Gardiner says declining ad revenue means TVNZ and Three have cut local productions by $50 million dollars, and Kiwis are missing out on their own stories.  

She told Andrew Dickens that streaming services have completely broken the traditional business model, so they’re looking to them to be part of the solution. 

Gardiner says they’re not asking for charity, just fairness and a level playing ground. 

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