The construction industry is being blamed for a lack of passive fire protection in many commercial buildings.

The Insurance Council says surveyors are constantly reporting non-compliance for things that are meant to slow down or eliminate a fire spreading in a multi-storey building.

They include unprotected punctures through fire-rated walls and floors, missing smoke dampers in heating and ventilation systems, and fire and smoke control doors not sealing correctly.

Insurance manager John Lucas told Mike Hosking building owners wouldn't know half of what the problems are.

"A lot of it is down to the construction industry or the contractors involved, some of them are not doing a very good job and the building owners would probably not know of some of the problems in their buildings."

A New Zealand bridge expert who has close ties to the bridge which fatally collapsed in northern Italy says it was an accident waiting to happen.

So far, 38 people have been killed after Genoa's Morandi bridge came down during a storm earlier this week.

Canterbury University Structural Engineering Professor Alessandro Palermo says he knows the person who warned that the Morandi's bridge was in excessive need for maintenance.

"The Italian professor said that the bridge needed so much maintenance after just 20 years, it would have cost just as much to replace it."

Palermo says officials do a visual check on bridges every two years including the Auckland Harbour bridge which is very closely monitored.

"At some point it will cost more for the NZTA to monitor and maintain a bridge than it will to replace it, that goes for all bridges , even the Auckland Harbour Bridge."

The engineering professor says although the Auckland Harbour Bridge hasn't been designed to last forever, regular commuters should not feel unsafe every time they drive under a bridge.

LISTEN ABOVE AS ALESSANDRO PALERMO SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING

Both major political parties say an inquiry into the leak of Simon Bridges' expenses would be fine, but they want to get on with the bigger issues.

Questions remain over the leak's origin.

National's Mark Mitchell says the party is 100 percent confident it's not someone within the caucus ... and asks why would the leader be calling for an inquiry if it could embarrass his own.

But Labour's Stuart Nash told Mike Hosking there might be some dissatisfied National MPs hoping to undermine the leader.

"There would be two or three people saying the Party vote is holding up but Simon isn't resonating. Of course you are going to go out with a public face and say you're united. In opposition when you have got a leader polling the way Simon is, there are always MPs talking.

LISTEN ABOVE AS STUART NASH AND MARK MITCHELL SPEAK WITH MIKE HOSKING

LISTEN TO NICK BRYANT TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE

President Donald Trump on Tuesday referred to Omarosa Manigault Newman as "that dog" as the former senior White House adviser continued a publicity tour to promote her new book depicting Trump as a racist.

In a morning tweet, Trump praised his chief of staff, John F. Kelly, for firing Manigault Newman last year. The former reality television star was the highest-ranking black employee in the White House.Trump's tweet came shortly after Manigault Newman appeared on "CBS This Morning" and released a new recording purportedly of a discussion in October 2016 among campaign aides about how to handle a tape on which Trump is said to have used the n-word.

In tweets Monday night, Trump denied ever using "such a terrible and disgusting word," and his aides have denied having strategized about how to contain the damage if such a tape surfaced. Manigault Newman has said she heard the tape of Trump using the term, which she said dates from Trump's years hosting the NBC reality show "The Apprentice."

Trump has come under fire previously for using derogatory terms to refer to women and African-Americans.

When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 14, 2018

At a debate during the Republican presidential primary season, he was famously asked by moderator Megyn Kelly about his tendency to call women he doesn't like "fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals."

More recently, Trump has repeatedly referred to Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., as "low IQ" and called CNN anchor Don Lemon "the dumbest man on television."

In her book, "Unhinged," Manigault Newman claims the Trump campaign was aware of the existence of the tape from the "Apprentice" period. She describes a phone conversation about how to handle potential fallout with Lynne Patton, then an assistant to Eric Trump, a son of the president; then-Trump spokeswoman Katrina Pierson; and campaign communications director Jason Miller.

The recording played on CBS on Tuesday morning purportedly includes the voices of Patton and Pierson. CBS said it had not confirmed the authenticity of the tape.

On the tape, a person whom Manigault Newman identifies as Pierson is heard saying: "I'm trying to find out at least the context it was used in to help us figure out a way to spin it."

A person Manigault Newman says is Patton then describes having a conversation with Trump about the alleged tape: "I said, 'Well, sir, can you think of any time this might have happened?' and he said, 'No.'"

"Well, that's not true," Manigault Newman then says on the tape.

The person said to be Pierson later says: "No, he said it. He is embarrassed."

In a joint statement after Manigault Newman's appearance on CBS, Pierson and Patton said that "no one ever denied the existence of conversations about a reported 'Apprentice' tape" and that they occurred because "Omarosa was obsessed with it."

In her book, Manigault Newman says she understands that Trump used the slur "multiple times throughout the show's taping during off-camera outtakes, particularly during the first season of the Apprentice."

In tweets Monday, Trump attacked his former aide as "vicious, but not smart" and claimed that "people in the White House hated her."

His latest attack on Manigault Newman prompted immediate criticism from lawmakers and others.

Fear my friend @realDonaldTrump undermines himself by using intemperate, boorish language to describe his enemies. I can't stand @OMAROSA a bully, back stabber & big mouth. But to call her a 'dog' & 'low life' is beneath dignity of the office of @POTUS & open to ugly connotation.

— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) August 14, 2018

"The president of the United States is calling a woman of colour 'a dog.' How dare he!" Rep. Frederica S. Wilson, D-Fla., said during an interv...

Questions around what supermarkets can and can't do when it comes to security.

Countdown's apologised to customers and ordered its Ferrymead store to stop the practice after a patron complained security staff were using airport-style handheld scanner to detect potential shoplifters

Simpson Grierson partner John Rooney told Mike Hosking it's quite different to being filmed.

"If it was, say, a CCTV, you're looking at all of the people who are in the store or the business, as opposed to targeting all the individuals when you don't have any particular reason to do so."

Rooney says the Privacy Act clearly sets out limitations.

LISTEN TO JOHN ROONEY TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE

An Auckland University physicist has made a major international breakthrough which could help explain some of life's greatest mysteries.

Dr Maarten Hoogerland's been involved in discovering the energy difference between two quantum states in the helium atom with extreme accuracy, also known as the quantum leap.

He hopes the discovery will lead to an improved understanding of the universe.

"A better understanding of nature is what will eventually lead to more sustainable world and we may be able to travel to the stars or invent flying cars and things like that."

Hoogerland and his team are using the same techniques to measure other atoms.

LISTEN TO MAARTEN HOOGERLAND TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE

A new beginning for the silver ferns today.

The first squad is set to be announced since the shambolic Commonwealth Games campaign, and it looks like some key veterans will make their return.

Casey Kopua and Laura Langman are set to be named, providing Langman puts herself on a Kiwi domestic side for next year’s season.

It's also believed Noeline Taurua will be confirmed as head coach after her season concludes at the Sunshine Coast Lightning in Australia.

Former Silver Fern and the second most capped player Lesley Rumball told Mike Hosking it will be great to bring in some more experience.

She says that tough situations like what has happened this year leads to a mindset for change.

“Players will just have to prove themselves again, and most have in the ANZ trophy.”

LISTEN TO LESLEY RUMBALL TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING

A Wellington teacher believes parents will continue to support them as they fight for better work conditions.

Thousands of primary school teachers and principals will be striking today.

Many will be rallying across the country with some marching to Parliament in the capital.

Worser Bay School teacher Carl Pynenburg told Mike Hosking many parents he's spoken to are bringing kids along to rallies.

"They stand in support of the teachers. They understand that what we are asking for is the best for them, for their kids."

LISTEN TO CARL PYENBURG TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE

Simon Bridges wants a full, independent investigation into who leaked his travel costs.

Speaker of the House Trevor Mallard is deciding whether that's warranted.

Bridges says he's very confident it's not a National MP.

Only National's caucus, Parliamentary Services and the Speaker had access to the file.

Bridges told Mike Hosking it's not so much about the costs - which were due to be released tomorrow anyway - but the integrity of parliament.

"I want to get to the bottom of actually whats gone on with a Government that wants to distract from the issues that everyone should be focused on, so let's get to the bottom of it."

Jacinda Ardern confirmed yesterday that no Labour MP or minister should have had any access to National's expenses.

LISTEN TO SIMON BRIDGES TALK WITH MIKE HOSKING ABOVE

Another's economist's suggesting the Government should be a bit more flexible when it comes to debt and investment.

It committed to reducing the country's debt to 20 percent of GDP by 2021.

BNZ's Head of Research Stephen Toplis says the Government will most likely miss the target anyway, which is low by international standards.

He's joining others in suggesting debt isn't a bad thing if it's spent on good investment and maybe the Government could push out its target.

Toplis told Mike Hosking the precise debt figure is not that much of an issue.

"What matters most is why it is increasing or decreasing. So what we should really be discussing is the quality of the expenditure and the quality of the revenue rather than the number itself."

LISTEN ABOVE AS STEPHEN TOPLIS SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING