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The UK is moving closer towards the vote on the new assisted dying bill - but some former leaders don't approve.
Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Baroness May are among the former Prime Ministers who have joined the voices opposing the bill.
UK correspondent Kay Oliver says the current Health Secretary and Justice Secretary also don't support the bill - and it's unclear if it will pass.
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The OCR was slashed by 50 basis points today - but some markets believe it could have gone lower.
Some experts believed a chunkier 75 point cut was on the way before the Reserve Bank took its summer break.
Milford Asset Management Portfolio Manager Katlyn Parker unpacked the response further.
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A plan to relocate the flood-prone West Coast town of Westport is being considered.
Westport has been repeatedly inundated by flooding - with disasters escalating further in recent years.
Buller mayor Jamie Cleine says this will be a gradual process, and other ideas to keep the town safe have been considered.
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Many mortgage holders will be relieved to hear that the OCR has been brought down by an addition 50 basis points.
Despite this, one expert is warning that borrowers might need to keep their enthusiasm about the interest rates in check.
NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained that there were other factors impacting interest rates.
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Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Nick Mills from ZB's Wellington Mornings joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Paper bags - Early Edition host Ryan Bridge has slammed the exorbitant cost of paper bags at the supermarket and criticised their effectiveness. What do we think?
The Reserve Bank has cut the OCR down by 50 basis points in their last meeting of the year. This is good news - but what does it say about our economy?
Wellington City Council has voted on their Long Term Plan - should we be worried?
Have you hit up the Black Friday sales yet?
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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 27 November, the OCR has dropped another 50 basis points to 4.25 percent. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen explained what might come next.
Price comparison service PriceMe has issued a warning about deceptive Black Friday deals, with CEO Gavin Male explaining the techniques retailers use to drive up spending.
Elevated levels of arsenic have been detected in the Waikato River, affecting water supplies in Auckland and Waikato. Steve Taylor from Water Services Authority explains the ongoing situation.
Plus, The Huddle debates whether or not paper bags need to go, after Early Edition's Ryan Bridge slammed them on his show.
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Elevated levels of arsenic have been detected in the Waikato River, affecting water supplies in Auckland and Waikato.
The Government has been briefed this evening and sought assurances that water supplies are safe.
Authorities are carrying out further testing with results due back tomorrow.
Watercare is also rejigging the way it processes water to reduce the amount of arsenic in the city’s water supply but said there was no immediate concern to public health.
Steve Taylor, head of operations at Water Services Authority (WSA), told Newstalk ZB there had been increased levels of arsenic recorded in the Waikato River, affecting water supplies in Auckland and Hamilton.
He said there was “naturally a level of arsenic” in the river, but it had been notified levels had increased recently.
“I’m not sure what the reason for that increase is and that is affecting water supplies in Auckland and Hamilton,” he said.
He explained the maximum acceptable value for arsenic is 0.01mg a litre – an “incredibly low amount” – but they had seen levels around 0.013mg, which is “marginally above the acceptable value for drinking water”.
“The level of arsenic is above what we’ve described as a maximum acceptable value, but it’s not at a level that we would suggest has a significant health effect.
“There’s no health risk in drinking that water,” Taylor said.
“What we would expect is that those levels of arsenic would reduce over time.”
Elevated readings of arsenic have been recorded in the Waikato River. Photo / Waikato District Council.Taylor said it is safe for people to keep drinking tap water.
“The key thing about the maximum acceptable value for arsenic is it’s designed for long-term exposure, so it’s not an acute level.
”Unlike some other levels, you know, if you exceed that level, it has an immediate health effect – that’s not the case with these levels.”
Taylor said the WSA was only notified of the elevated levels on Wednesday and it had been “a very short-term situation”.
”We’ve contacted the [Waikato] regional council to try and understand what is the reason for this change in source water,” he said.
Local Government Minister Simeon Brown has been briefed on the issue this evening. Photo / Mark MitchellLocal Government Minister Simeon Brown said he had been briefed on the issue by the WSA this evening.
“I have asked the WSA to ensure that water suppliers in Auckland and Hamilton are taking appropriate steps, and that they communicate with their customers,” Brown said.
“The WSA is the lead agency for this issue and will be providing regular updates.”
Watercare reduces production at Waikato Water Treatment PlantThe Herald repeatedly sought comment from Watercare this afternoon and it responded shortly before 8pm, saying it had reduced production at its Waikato Water Treatment Plant since detecting the elevated result.
Watercare CEO Mark Bourne said the Waikato River supplies about 20% of Auckland’s drinking water.
”We treat the water at our Waikato Water Treatment Plant in Tūākau and distribute it throughout the metropolitan network.
”In most parts of Auckland, treated water from the Waikato River is blended with treated water from our dams. However, Pukekohe, Buckland, Clarks Beach/Waiau Pā, Patumahoe, Glenbrook Beach, and Drury south receive water solely sourced from the Waikato River.”
Bourne said Watercare had increased production at its major Ardmore plant, which treats water from four dams in the Hūnua Ranges.
“This extends the processing time at the plant, and we expect it to improve our ability to reduce the level of arsenic in the treated drinking water.
“We’re working closely with other agencies and will continue to share information as we learn more.”
The current minor exceedance of the standards does not present any immediate concern for public health, Watercare said.
A Waikato District Council spokesperson said Watercare operates the local water networks in the area under contract.
“Pōkeno and Tūākau are supplied by Watercare’s Waikato Water Treatment Plant. There are also treatment plants that serve the townships of Huntly, Te Kauwhata, Meremere, Taupiri and Ngāruawāhia.”
The spokesperson said samples from these plants were being tested, with results due tomorrow.
Hamilton City Council’s water supply remained safe for drinking, bathing, cleaning and cooking, following test results that showed small increases in the level of arsenic present.
What is arsenic?The Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora website describes arsenic as a substance found in rock, which in some situations “harms your health”.
It commonly enters the body in food and water and people can swallow small amounts every day for a long time without any obvious health effects.
But swallowing larger amounts may cause long-term health effects, arsenic poisoning or death.
Someone with arsenic poisoning may suffer from:
Stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. Extreme tiredness and bruising. An abnormal heartbeat. A “pins and needles” feeling in the hands and feet. Arsenic can not be removed from water by boiling it.LISTEN ABOVE
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Kmart's New Zealand operation is approaching the $1 billion turnover mark, as it plans to open its largest store in the country yet.
BusinessDesk reports annual earnings lodged with the Companies Office show Kmart NZ Holdings declared just shy of $1 billion total revenue in the year to June 30.
Auckland University marketing professor says Kmart has managed to create quality products and boost its fashion output to avoid the stigma that comes with big-box retailers.
"They've reduced the amount of stuff that they had and they're only focused on really good, quality products at that affordable price - so through doing that and getting their fashion and style up, they've managed to avoid the stigma."
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Newstalk ZB's own Ryan Bridge has hit out at the cost of paper bags at the supermarket.
Woolworths currently charges customers 40c per paper bag after plastic bags were banned from further circulation in July 2019.
The retailer has defended these prices - claiming the cost is designed to encourage customers to bring their own bags.
The Early Edition host says these bags are 'annoying' to use - and they don't properly carry your essentials.
"Forget eggs, forget anything else... just put a two litre bottle of slippery, wet milk into this thing and it can't handle it. By the time you get to your car, it's all over your floor and you've actually got to carry it like a baby."
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Price comparison service PriceMe has issued a warning about deceptive Black Friday deals.
New research reveals 76 percent of the 100 most popular products last year were more expensive on Black Friday than other times of the year.
It says one in four Kiwis are sceptical of the sales, but many shoppers still expect to save 40 percent on fashion and tech.
Chief executive Gavin Male says retailers use misleading sales tactics to make products appear cheaper.
"Deals are always available, so it pays to compare and to check those prices of everything throughout the year, because there could always be one shop that's got an anniversary sale for their own brand."
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There's fears of potential flow-on effects from more cost-cutting at Health New Zealand.
The Public Service Association says the health agency is cutting a net 1478 roles, with about 700 already vacant.
Health NZ says it's spending more than it has in its budget - and these savings will strengthen its front-line.
PSA health sector lead, Ashok Shankar, says these cuts will impact Health New Zealand's digital team.
He explained not having these workers could lead to more outages and less data and information.
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There's questions over what will come next for the OCR after today's 50 basis point cut.
The Reserve Bank has hinted more cuts will come in the new year.
However, Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen has warned this might not be the right approach.
"A lot of economic forecasters are wondering - when do we get back to those more normal and considered steps, given that the economy is already starting to show some early signs of turning around?"
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Homeowners can expect some relief - as the Reserve Bank cuts the OCR down in its final update of the year.
The central bank has slashed the rate 50 basis points today - to sit on 4.25 percent.
It's now forecasting 4.1 percent by March next year, 3.6 percent by the end of next year, with an endpoint of 3.1 percent by March 2027.
ZB political correspondent Barry Soper says Governor Adrian Orr has warned this will depend on how things track - as the economy is in for a slow recovery.
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Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has claimed Donald Trump's proposed tariffs would do nothing to stop the flow of migrants coming through the US border.
Sheinbaum has also warned Mexico would hit back with tariffs of its own in response to Trump claiming he would introduce a 25 percent increase on all imports from the region.
US correspondent says Canada and China haven't responded favourably to the president-elect's proposed tariff increases either.
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New Zealand Rugby are weighing up the option of taking an All Blacks home test against France to the United States next year.
The move comes a month after confirmation France would be sending an understrength squad on the tour to New Zealand.
Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.
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The Transport Agency is telling bus and train providers to take in more money, which could force fare hikes.
Wellington's Regional Council is rejecting the call from NZTA.
Transport Committee Chair Thomas Nash says it would mean unaffordable 70 percent fare increases during a cost of living crisis.
"You'd end up just pushing people back into cars, more people will be on the road and it would be more congested - which I think is the opposite of what we need."
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A petition calling for a second UK election is growing in support - and tech billionaire Elon Musk has voiced his support for it.
Musk labelled the UK a 'tyrannical police state' and boosted a video by a jailed far-right figurehead.
UK correspondent Enda Brady says Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is unlikely to resign based on this poll.
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Donald Trump's return to the White House could lead to a more complex landscape for global food and agricultural trade, according to a new report by Rabobank.
Rabobank says the implications of Trump's proposed policy shifts could be potential disruptions to established trade relationships, shifts in export demand, and rising costs for consumers and businesses alike.
The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.
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President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to hit Mexico, Canada and China with new tariffs as soon as he takes office.
In a post on social media, Trump promised to charge Mexico and Canada an additional 25 percent tariff on all products they send to the US - and an additional 10 percent tariff will be placed on Chinese goods.
Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says these trade changes come with ramifications for the rest of the world - New Zealand included.
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The Reserve Bank is set to make its final decision for the Official Cash Rate for the year tomorrow afternoon.
The general consensus among experts is that the OCR will be cut by at least 50 basis points.
HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says the Reserve Bank needs to strike the right balance for the economy.
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