Nick Mills wraps the week for a Thursday edition of faceoff with Hutt City Mayor Ken Laban and journalist and broadcasting legend Mark Sainsbury.  

Starting with the complaints from councillors' around their new office – Councillor Nicola Young says many boycotted the blessing as they are not pleased with the location of the Mayor’s office. Is this a show of entitlement or genuine concern about the perception of our leader? 

Our panel share their thoughts on the inquiry into the FENZ fire truck fleet by Tim Costley. The board's answers to Costley are apparently “confusing and contradictory".   

What do Mayor Laban and Sainsbury think of the 79% pay increase of some board members during the pay dispute for frontline workers – and what questions need to be answered by FENZ? 

Can we expect our fire fighters to do their job with such limited pay and equipment?  

Then Minister Winston Peters flies over to Rarotonga to seal a deal which clarifies our two countries relationship. But he flew over in an Airforce jet. Is this a bad look during the fuel crisis? Or are the optics of Peters in Rarotonga and putting in effort important enough? 

And what do our panel think of the deal? 

Then onto the David Tamihere case being quashed due to a miscarriage of justice. Our panel talk the likelihood of retrial and whether Tamihere should receive compensation. 

The Green Party declined a candidate – a sex worker advocacy group says it’s due to the woman’s prior experience in that industry. Should someone be denied due to their career, or should we bring more diversity into the beehive? 

Then the basin – our panel get heated on what should be done with the basin reserve, as the NZ20 cricket is set to play there. 

Plus, our panel share their hots and nots from the week.  

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