Holiday Breakfast

Easter trading rules are back in the spotlight, with two Wānaka supermarkets facing potential fines for remaining open throughout the long weekend.

So-called 'non-essential businesses' need an exemption to open on Good Friday or Easter Sunday.

Dairies, restaurants, cafes and pharmacies are currently considered essential, but Wānaka Business Chamber General Manager Glenn Peat says supermarkets could argue they're essential too.

"It is breaking the law, and we just have to look at it from the perspective of what the community may need at that particular time."

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The Associate Finance Minister says the minimum wage isn't designed to be a way of raising income, and the Government has to consider its effect on employers.

The minimum wage increases to$23.15 an hour from today, with the Family Tax Credit, Best Start tax credit and Job Seeker Support benefit also increasing.

Labour says the increase won't be enough for some struggling households.

But Minister David Seymour says there are very few minimum wage workers leading a household.

"Often they'll be students, often they'll be a partner who works part-time but has a full-time breadwinner elsewhere in the household."

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Days before judgement was set to be handed down, Australian broadcaster Network 10 has new evidence to add to Bruce Lehrmann's case.

The network has applied to submit this new evidence - the details of which are currently unknown - with a hearing listed for Tuesday afternoon.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says it's unclear if Network 10 is legally allowed to submit evidence this late into proceedings.

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Work is underway to rebuild Baltimore Key Bridge, which collapsed after being hit by a cargo ship last week.

The White House has poured millions of into fixing the port, which brings in billions of dollars of revenue annually.

US Correspondent Richard Arnold says authorities have a long process ahead.

"They have only recovered the remains of two of the six bridge workers who were killed when it all collapsed- the cargo ship and the crew were stuck in the tangle, just sitting on board there."

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After a hugely successful year over the ditch, comedian Ryan Shelton is bringing his podcast 'Imperfect' to kiwi audiences in the form of a live show.  

Every episode Shelton, Hugh van Cuylenburg, and Josh van Culenburg are joined by a guest for a chat about how “perfectly imperfect” people are, raking in over a million downloads a month.  

Shelton told Tim Dower that their main motivation for the podcast is creating a safe space for people to tell their stories. 

The live show, he said, is raw vulnerability.  

Recording the podcast has a sense of safety, as they can edit the content if it goes awry. When it comes to a live show, there’s no editing, and no taking anything back. 

‘The Imperfects’, Shelton explains, is a comedy show with a bit of vulnerability wedged in.  

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Don’t You (Forget About Me), Alive And Kicking, Belfast Child, all well-known songs from one of the UK’s most successful rock bands: Simple Minds. 

Fans will have the opportunity to hear these iconic songs live as the band take to the stage for their Summer Concert tour and New Zealand is the first stop.  

The band formed in 1977, lead singer Jim Kerr telling Tim Dower that they dreamed it up themselves, no teachers or mentors in sight. 

“It’ll end someday, but until that day comes along, we take such pride in giving a great account every time we go on stage.” 

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The Maritime Union wants the Government to take the mega-ferry project off the chopping block in the wake of legal action against Interislander's operators. 

Maritime NZ, the entity which oversees safety on our seas, has filed a charge on health and safety grounds against KiwiRail. 

The charge relates to the Kaitaki incident, where roughly a year ago the ship lost power in Cook Strait with hundreds of passengers on board. 

Craig Harrison, Secretary for the Maritime Union, told Tim Dower that it’s unlikely that we’ll get the luxury of time when it comes to replacing the ships.  

He said that initially the plan was to retire the current vessels by mid-2025 or the end of 2026, replaced with new ships specifically designed to sail in heavier weather with more frequency.  

Those plans have now been kicked for touch, Harrison said, until the Government finds another solution. 

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Mediation in the unlawful termination case between the ABC and Antoinette Lattouf has hit a stalemate. 

Just before Christmas Lattouf was given a one-week contract to present the morning program on the ABC radio station in Sydney.  

She was fired after three days, according to ABC she defied instructions and made a controversial post about Gaza on social media. 

Lattouf maintains that she is a victim of racism and was fired because of her Lebanese heritage.  

Australian Correspondent Murray Olds told Tim Dower that nine newspapers have added fuel to the fire with the claim that an outfit called Lawyers for Israel effectively bullied ABC into removing her. 

ABC denies this claim, and an agreement was unable to be reached. 

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It’s a series of major failures that should not have happened.  

The US Department of Justice has released its report into the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas in 2022. 

For over an hour, 33 students and three of their teachers, many of whom were shot, were trapped in a room with an active shooter while law enforcement remained outside.  

In the end 21 people lost their lives. 

US Correspondent Richard Arnold told Tim Dower that the incident was rife with misinformation and lack of preparation. 

There are 273 recommendations in the lengthy report. 

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Food prices look to be cooling, potentially bringing some relief to consumers. 

Stats NZ's latest figures show annual food price inflation's fallen to 4.8%, its lowest level in two years. 

Grocery inflation fell notably, increasing by only 5.4% compared to the 11% increase from 2021 to 2022. 

Meat only rose 2.3% last year. 

Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Tim Dower that a number of other inputs have begun to move into a better position as well, such as international airfares dropping by 15% compared to this time last year. 

One area of concern, he said, was rental properties. 

Rent on new rental properties is up by 7% across the country, accelerating quickly with the increasing population growth. 

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