Larry Williams Drive

Google has dominated the search market for almost 20 years, but with the new introduction of generative AI, does the company face an existential crisis? Fund Manager Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss his thoughts.    LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has met the President of the Philippines, and promised to be more engaged on the defence front and on trade.  Plus, two ministers questioning the value of the Waitangi Tribunal continuing are rebuked by Luxon. And, Wellington feels the pinch of public servants being laid off.  ZB Senior Political correspondent Barry Soper wraps the political week.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meta has begun incorporating new versions of its AI-powered smart assistant software across its apps, which include Instagram, Whatsapp, Messenger and Facebook.  Users can ask the software to create images, write love letters, write a cover letter and more...  Tech commentator Paul Spain of Gorilla Tech tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the software being used inside apps by Meta makes AI more accessible.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sport journalist Jim Kayes and Newstalk ZB sport news director Clay Wilson join Heather du Plessis-Allan for the Sports Huddle. Is James Fisher-Harris the best signing in Warriors history?  Do women need a smaller rugby ball? And, will NZ have enough netball players to make up three teams? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Law Society has penned an editorial saying we should be less critical of judges to protect democracy. The editorial warns being overly critical of judges could cause the public to lose confidence in the judiciary system.   President of the Law Society Frazer Barton tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that it is okay to analyse, discuss and debate decisions but it is not okay to personalise it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taylor Swift’s much hyped new album has dropped. The Tortured Poets Department features 16 songs, at one hour and five minutes duration.  Newstalk ZB intern Ava Whitworth gave it a listen and tells Heather du Plessis-Allan just what the lyrics reveal.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Angela Blackmoore’s murderers have been sentenced to life in prison.   David Hawken and Rebecca Wright-Meldrum were found guilty of her murder last year and had their sentences handed down today, almost 30 years since the slaying in Christchurch.  Angela’s former partner Laurie Anderson read a victim impact statement at the sentencing. He tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the family feel relief and a sense of closure.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A US official has reported Israel has bombed Iran. Damage is being assessed as the world watches on at how Iran is going to react.  Meanwhile, a complete jury has been selected in the criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has not let the defense know who the first witness is due to concerns the former president may post on social media about them.  And, Elon Musk is funding a campaign to combat “relentess attacks on free speech”.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand’s track and field team has been named for the Olympics.  Sportstalk host Jason Pine gives Heather du Plessis-Allan the lowdown on the 15-strong squad.   Plus, Supercars are in Taupo this weekend, with five kiwis on the grid.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israeli missiles have reportedly hit a site in Iran, beginning a counter-attack after Iran fired dozen of missiles.  A senior United States official has reportedly said missiles have hit a site in the Iranian city Isfahan. However, Iran is downplaying the attack saying the strike was not successful.  Professor for International Relations at Otago University, Robert Patman tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that the strike is very significant on many fronts with reports that Israel may have targeted nuclear facilities in Iran. The Biden administration have warned Israel not to retaliate against Iran and have expressed fears of the rise of the price of oil.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let's talk about judges for a minute.  So, the Law Society today has come out in defence of judges and in the face of all the criticism that they've been copping lately. The Law Society has asked that we please stop criticising the judges. It's in an opinion piece written by Fraser Barton, who is the president of the Law Society. He says the way that we're talking about the judiciary and their decisions might be harmful to this important institution. He says we are wrong to accuse especially the Supreme Court of Judicial activism. And, if we carry on the way that we are, it might end up with people losing confidence in the judiciary, which means that they won't trust the courts to look after them.  Now, in a nutshell, I think what Fraser is arguing is that it is absolutely fine to criticise judges decisions, but we're not ok to criticise the judges themselves - including by using phrases like activist judges.  Look, as a general rule, I think Fraser's got a point here, right?  You should always try to play th

Residents of a 16-floor apartment building in central Auckland, have been ordered to evacuate. Auckland Council issued City Gardens Apartments a dangerous building notice, citing fire safety concerns. City Garden must carry out repairs to meet standards - and if work's still incomplete people will have to move out on Monday. One resident says the building's always had issues - and during one fire drill the fire escape was even locked. Auckland Council Building Control General Manager Ian McCormick told Heather du Plessis-Allan it was a significant enough issue to take action.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's accusing the Government of demonising beneficiaries - while people are being laid off. Figures out today show 20-thousand more people are drawing JobSeeker benefits than a year ago. Minister Louise Upston says that underscores the need for her policies - which include cutting JobSeekers by 50-thousand, by 2030. Carmel Sepuloni says Government cuts mean thousands of public service workers are losing their job. She says it's unfair for the Government to stigmatise beneficiaries -- both for people on welfare, and those that might end up there. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that the system police use for stalking allegations isn't up to standard.  This is after the murder of a 21-year-old in Auckland who had reported to police eight weeks before her death that her killer was harassing her. The woman's file was inactive for six weeks after she made the report, then it was forwarded to another police station. It was not progressed further before she died. Ruth Money is a Victims Advocate and told Heather du Plessis-Allan she is 'horrified' by the outcome.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sydney police are continuing to identify people involved in a riot after Monday's church stabbing. The 16-year-old suspect remains in hospital under police guard for the alleged terrorist attack. A 19-year-old has been placed under house arrest over his alleged role in the riot.New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb says they're arresting people as they're identified. She says they believe there could be up to 50 people to identify, maybe more. Webb says 51 officers were injured in the riot, and are recovering.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Privacy Commissioner wants to review the Privacy Act and introduce a right to be forgotten. He's concerned social media is posing a major risk for children's privacy and parents need help navigating it. A survey by his office raised concerns around young people not having the capacity to make fully informed decisions about their digital footprint and its implications later down the line. Michael Webster told Heather du Plessis-Allan the right to be forgotten should be a fundamental one. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police hope to go to arbitration over pay next month. More than 75 percent of members have voted NO to the latest pay offer, which included a new overtime rate, a pay increase and a cash payment. They say it doesn't remedy the decline in salaries. Police Minister Mark Mitchell says it's disappointing - and will draw out an already lengthy process. Police Association President Chris Cahill told Heather du Plessis-Allan they want pay increases to match the rate of teachers. "They received 6 percent last July, which is when ours (agreement) ran out," he said.  "They received another 4 percent at the start of April and they'll receive another 4 percent at the start of December this year." Cahill says those are the figures his members want to talk about.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inflation is proving to be a hard dragon to slay.  Annual inflation has dropped to 4%, sitting above the Reserve Bank forecast of 3.8%.  Non-tradable inflation —on final goods and services that don't face foreign competition— remains very high at 5.8%, well above the Bank's forecast of 5.3%.  Kiwibank Chief Economist, Jarrod Kerr, told Heather du-Plessis Allan that inflation is now being driven by domestic factors.  He says migration is pushing up rents, climate change is pushing up insurance, and infrastructure problems are pushing up council rates.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guess what: the smaller ruby ball for women is already controversial.  I was telling you about this last week because World Rugby is spitballing the idea of giving the female rugby players a ball that's about 3% smaller and lighter than the standard ball.  Because their hands are smaller than male hands, and it would make kicking and passing easier for them.  Because let's be honest, kicking a rugby ball is ever slightly more difficult for a female rugby player than a male rugby player because she's smaller. So it would simply be balancing that out.  Well... This is not gone done well with Bonnie in the Herald sports department, who reckons this is a classic case of men sitting around thinking up ideas for women that women don’t actually want.  And all that this is going to do is give detractors of the women’s game another thing to undermine the game with by basically writing off any record that they might set by saying it doesn’t count because the ball is smaller. Who cares!  I love it, because it’s true.  W

The Children's Minister says no frontline roles are being axed in widespread public service cuts.   Oranga Tamariki is proposing a total loss of 447 jobs, and the Education Ministry says more than 500 jobs will go.   It's in response of the Government's demand for 6.5% savings.   Karen Chhour told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they've been adamant no frontline jobs would go in the OT restructure.  She says they need to make sure their frontline is resourced with the tools they need, and that's what part of this restructure is about.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.