The forecast isn't looking too bad for what's arguably Auckland's biggest events weekend of the summer. 

Thousands are expected to descend on Eden Park over the next two nights, to see country music star Luke Combs. 

The city's also placing host to Sail GP over the next two days and Auckland FC is taking on Melbourne FC at Mount Smart Stadium tomorrow night. 

MetService forecaster Hordur Thordarson told Tim Beveridge it should be a mostly settled weekend for most parts of the country, including Auckland. 

He says there'll be an easterly flow, reasonably warm temperatures and the odd shower, but lots of fine spells as well. 

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The banks are at it again. 

ASB is slashing its rates this morning following a move by Westpac yesterday afternoon. 

Many borrowers have been moving to floating or short-term fixed rates, anticipating further OCR cuts. 

But latest forecasts show bank economists now expect the Reserve Bank to start hiking the OCR again next year. 

Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen told Tim Beveridge the latest changes to advertised rates are driven more by bank competition, than by the Reserve Bank. 

He's expecting a lot of competitive pressure between the banks this year as they jockey for market position. 

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There's determination from the Education Minister to continue focusing on literacy and numeracy in schools. 

New data shows 70% of Level 1 students passed NCEA last year, down from 82% the previous year. 

It's partly due to the new 20-credit foundational literacy and numeracy requirement. 

Erica Stanford told Tim Beveridge there was a cohort of students who were getting enough credits but couldn't pass the requirements throughout the year. 

She says it's why more investment was announced to target young people in 169 schools in term four. 

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The Green Party had a rough time in 2024, dealing with their fair share of scandals and tragedies.  

From Darleen Tana’s dramatic exit and Golriz Ghahraman’s shoplifting scandal, to the death of Efeso Collins and Marama Davidson’s cancer diagnosis.  

Co-Leader Chlöe Swarbrick told Tim Beveridge that it’s been tough. 

“I do spend a lot of time reflecting on the actions that I take, and whether I’m the best person to be doing this job,” she said. 

“I can tell you that I feel confident that we’ve done the best that we possibly could with those circumstances, with our values being the guiding star.” 

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Police officer Lyn Fleming's life will be remembered at a full police funeral today in Nelson.  

She died after she was run over while carrying out patrols in the city on New Year's Day.  

The funeral will be held at the Trafalgar Centre and livestreamed on the Police website and Facebook page.  

Police Association President Chris Cahill says there are unique features to a police funeral, including the police flag draped over the coffin, the police guard, and the performance of a haka. 

He told Tim Beveridge that the public support from across New Zealand have been felt both in Nelson, but also in stations across the country. 

Cahill says the support is always welcomed, even if it's come from incredibly tragic circumstances.  

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The ACT Party argues the re-election of Donald Trump is another reason for New Zealand to ramp up its Defence spend.  

It's proposing an investment of at least 2% of GDP, with the current spend sitting at 0.9%. 

ACT's defence spokesperson Mark Cameron says the world is becoming a less safe and predictable place, and New Zealand needs to pull its weight in traditional alliances.  

He told Tim Beveridge that its incumbent on our crown to spend a bit more on investing in the men and women who wear our national colours every day to protect our national interests. 

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An overhaul of how obesity is diagnosed could be on the way. 

The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity has made recommendations that diagnosis is focused on measures of total body fat, not just BMI. 

The paper says current practices rely too heavily on body-mass indexes. 

Endocrinologist Rinki Murphy told Tim Beveridge it won't mean people can just diagnose obesity by standing in front of the mirror. 

She says it becomes unhealthy when fat goes into organs, and it's not able to be seen by the bare eye.  

The Global Commission on Clinical Obesity also recommends recognising two categories of obesity. 

Clinical obesity would be used for cases where excess body fat is negatively affecting body functions, while pre-obesity is where a patient has excess fat but it's not having consequences yet. 

Murphy says BMI will still need to be used for population data. 

She says it's required for monitoring, while the two categories can be used on an individual level. 

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Another sign of hope on the horizon for jobseekers. 

The latest quarterly Westpac-McDermott Miller Employment Confidence Index has risen for the first time in over two years, off the back of a three-and-a-half-year low. 

Public sector workers are more pessimistic than private sector workers about their earning prospects. 

But there's growing confidence, across the board, about the availability of jobs. 

Infometrics’ Brad Olsen told Tim Beveridge that it’s another sign that we’re maybe starting to reach the end of the really difficult periods people are facing. 

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Celebrations in the streets of Israel and Gaza, with reports of ceasefire being reached. 

More than 46-thousand people have been killed in the region and nearly two million people have been displaced since the conflict began in October. 

BBC reports the first phase of the deal will see a six-week ceasefire and 33 of the hostages held by Hamas exchanged for hundreds Palestinian prisoners. 

Foreign Affairs Correspondent Paul Wood told Tim Beveridge it's essentially the same deal that's been offered since May. 

He says both sides are to blame to some extent for extending the deal, but it was largely Israel's Prime Minister prioritising destroying Hamas over getting the hostages home. 

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Businesses are feeling optimistic they could be in for a better 2025.  

The latest Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion from the Institute of Economic Research reveals a net 9% of firms are expecting general economic conditions to improve.  

This is a jump from a net 4% feeling downbeat three months prior. 

Infometrics’ Brad Olsen told Tim Beveridge that it’s definitely a good sign, however at the same time, around 26% of businesses said they had less business activity in the December quarter. 

He says this could indicate the recession continued through until the end of the year. 

Olsen says there’s quite a clear feeling that while last year was tough, there are better things to come. 

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