23 OTT 2022 · New records are being set for the amount of plastic being intercepted, and avoiding landfills. It's down to more local councils expanding the types of plastic they collect, and recycle. Polypropylene is now taken by nearly nine out of ten councils - that's the likes of ice cream and margarine containers. Plastics NZ CEO, Rachel Barker says 97 percent of Kiwis can now recycle the plastic, up from 81 percent last year. LISTEN ABOVE

23 OTT 2022 · Crime on the streets of Auckland- it's no longer just about the central city or some of the grittier districts. People in leafy St Heliers are calling for visible police out on the beat, to act as a deterrent. Just this weekend, there was an apparently random and unprovoked stabbing, but in the past few months there have  been 11 ram raids and burglaries in the shopping village. The Business Association has taken a safety plan to police, but came away mostly empty-handed. Resident Peter Jones, who was involved in preparing the report, discussed further.  LISTEN ABOVE

23 OTT 2022 · Could pokie trusts be doing a better job of scrutinising where their grants are going? There are alarm bells over a so-called Children Education Foundation in Auckland as it's banked nearly one million dollars in pokie grants over three years. Yet, there's new evidence suggesting it doesn't actually operate the services it claims. Chief executive at Pub Charity, Martin Cheer, spoke on the wider issue surrounding this story today.  LISTEN ABOVE  

23 OTT 2022 · More uncertainty for the tertiary education sector, with the nationwide polytech provider Te Pūkenga looking to slash $35 million dollars from its budget. Acting Chief Executive Peter Winder says redundancies can't be ruled out, he's picking a $63 million dollar deficit for 2022. National's tertiary education spokesperson Penny Simmonds explained what exactly is going wrong here. LISTEN ABOVE

23 OTT 2022 · Former British Chancellor Rishi Sunak has forged ahead of his rivals in the contest to replace Liz Truss as Prime Minister. Sunak has about 150 Tory MPs in his camp, including some who previously allied themselves with Boris Johnson. Candidates need 100 supporters by Monday afternoon (UK time)  to qualify for the next stage. Our UK correspondent Vincent McAviney explained further. LISTEN ABOVE  

23 OTT 2022 · Matthew Perry, mostly known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, is set to release a new memoir. The book, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, is set to release November 1st, but he's already opened up about what prospective readers can expect to get from it. Matthew Perry has opened up about his alcohol addiction that was a big behind-the-scenes element during the earlier seasons of Friends, and the opioid addiction that sent him to hospital for 5 months when his colon burst. US correspondent Richard Arnold further explained what we can expect from the memoir here. LISTEN ABOVE

23 OTT 2022 · There's a consensus New Zealand came through the COVID-19 pandemic fairly well, but are there further consequences yet to come? Compared to a lot of other countries our death rate was low. Now we're open again and mostly back to work, and some interesting projections of what the post pandemic phase will look like are emerging. The in-house actuary for insurance company Partners Life, Kate Dron, explained further. "One of the issues we've still got now is that things are still revolving, and we've still got new variants coming through, and this is a whole different world for us opening up. It is still quite hard to get a grip of what's actually happening out there." LISTEN ABOVE

23 GIU 2022 · The celebration of Matariki is open to all New Zealanders, regardless of ethnic or cultural background. Speaking to the Front Page podcast, author and host of the Flava Breakfast show Stacey Morrison says the message is universal. "The values of Matariki are very much in tune with our environment," says Morrison. "It asks us to be grateful for the crops we've been enjoying and to be mindful of the winds and of the water supply. All of those things are relevant and universal to everybody." Celebrations of the day are often centred on food and togetherness, with a strong focus on gratitude. Morrison also notes that the celebration of the return of the Matariki constellation in the winter night sky serves as a reminder of our place in the world. "It's entirely in tune with our environment in New Zealand. It comes from here, so it's for us and our environment. "It is not out of step, in the way that Christmas is sometimes portrayed in the Northern Hemisphere as being part of a snowy environment when it's not like that here. Whereas, this is our winter and our winter sky to celebrate." Morrison says this isn't about replacing one tradition with another or removing focus from days that are important to other New Zealanders. It's rather about appreciating and celebrating something that has always been woven into the history of New Zealand. "When we consider all knowledge, what knowledge have we left behind? What knowledge have we centred? And what knowledge can we actually all engage in and be richer for it? It's not about replacement. It's actually about engaging in the opportunities that we have… I think there's a humanity that all of us can relate to."Thankfulness is central to the Matariki celebration, but Morrison doesn't align with former National MP Paula Bennett's suggestion that the public holiday should become the New Zealand equivalent of Thanksgiving. "I understand that inherent in Matariki is an appreciation of the crops that we get to enjoy and of the environment we live in," Morrison says. "But what I can't relate to at all is Thanksgiving as a reference, because it is not a day of celebration for indigenous people of America. It's a day of mourning, in fact, for Native Americans. So I understand the appreciativeness, but Thanksgiving doesn't speak to me at all." The meaning and the story of Matariki are also strong enough to stand alone, with Morrison saying that we don't need to lean on any other cultures for validation. "We don't need to look to America to tell us what to do. Maybe this is part of our maturity as well. It's about [saying]: 'This is us'. "It's only from us and that is all it needs to be validated." On the topic of what the day should and shouldn't represent, the Matariki Advisory Group did express some concern about the seeping impact of commercialisation. Morrison says that this doesn't mean businesses should steer away from raising awareness about the event but they should consider carefully how they go about it. "If you do nothing for Matariki or Māori events for the rest of the year, and then on Friday go: 'It's Matariki today' – which would be factually incorrect – and then say "We've got stuff for $29.99", then that's where you can hear the commercialism creeping in." Morrison says a better way to go about it would be to have commercial activities focused on things like food, feasts and family coming together. Morrison says that adverts and company messages can actually add to the day if they take care to reflect the compassion and respect implicit in Matariki. "The problems come in when it's commercialism without care or if it doesn't reflect how the company rolls every other day of the year," Morrison says. - Damien Venuto, NZ Herald

23 GIU 2022 · The removal of pre-departure tests could be the bait luring Australians to New Zealand ski slopes. NZ Ski Chief Executive Paul Anderson told Tim Dower they've seen a huge increase in bookings in the last week. He says this could've been because of the snow or the scrapping of pre-departure tests for international tourists. Paul Anderson says the travel experience for Australians won't be as bad for the upcoming school holidays. LISTEN ABOVE

23 GIU 2022 · Coach Michael McGuire has picked four debutants in a powerful Kiwis line-up to tackle Mate Ma'a Tonga at Mt Smart. Three new backs - winger Ronaldo Mulitalo, centre Marata Niukore and stand-off Dylan Brown make the run on side  while Penrith prop Moses Leota will be unleashed from the bench. Joey Manu is shifted from his usual centre spot to fullback while Jahrome Hughes will join Brown in the halves, pushing 31-year-old Kieran Foran to the bench. Recalled captain Jesse Bromwich is one of five Melbourne Storm players in the 17 and he joined the Matariki Breakfast. LISTEN ABOVE