Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Fire and Emergency NZ is looking into cutting jobs in a bid to save $50 million a year. It says it's in a tightening financial bind, and a significant restructure is on the cards - with consultation documents set to be sent to staff by next week. NZ Firefighters Union national secretary Wattie Watson says Fire and Emergency has already cut a recruit course set to take place in January. "We've got some real worries there - the recruit course that was being cancelled next year in January, that actually impacts on the normal recruiting." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister says he's pleased former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming's pleaded guilty to having child exploitation and bestiality images on work devices. He admitted to three representative charges in Wellington District Court this afternoon.  Court documents reveal the 52-year-old made thousands of Google searches, many seeking AI-generated or cartoon images. Police Minister Mark Mitchell says this result shows no-one's above the law - but this behaviour reflects poorly on the police.  "For every one officer - and it's a big organisation, so you're always going to have some people that don't uphold the standards. But most of our police officers do, they're out there every day, they're doing tens of thousands of positive acts." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Officials warn the $200 million set aside to encourage gas exploration may be too small - with production falling and closure of the ageing Māui field looming. The Government's widening the scope and terms of the commercial co-investment fund. BusinessDesk reports a Cabinet paper released today states the field will stop production, with the rest of the sentence redacted. Resources Minister Shane Jones says he isn't privy to when the closure will happen. "We're suffering a decline in the known reserves from those historically large sites and they're working through the process - it's up to them to identify when it will actually cease." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ex-top cop Jevon McSkimming's admitted to having child exploitation and bestiality images on work devices. The former Deputy Police Commissioner's pleaded guilty to three representative charges of possessing objectionable material in Wellington District Court this afternoon.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked today's verdict. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, former drug kingpin Tony Mokbel managed to avoid additional time in prison over a drug trafficking conviction.  Mokbel, one of the key figures in Melbourne’s gangland war, was sentenced to 30 years’ jail after pleading guilty to serious drug-related offences in 2012.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says reports have surfaced accusing his lawyer of corruption, prompting an additional investigation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't expect wholesale changes mid-evening when All Blacks coach Scott Robertson unveils his side to play Scotland. The Kiwi side is set to face off against Scotland this coming Sunday and the team's hoping to keep up the momentum after beating Ireland. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick has raised concerns with the Government's proposed solutions for rough sleepers - and says they won't solve the actual problem at hand. While details are scarce, reports show the Government and Auckland Council are working on moving homeless people out of public spaces in the CBD for destructive behaviour. Chlöe Swarbrick says it's time to get to the core root issues and invest in sensible solutions.  "Right now, it seems like, really, the only place these people can end up being put is being held overnight in the cells. Again, that doesn't go anywhere near towards resolving the problem." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The BBC is under fire after reports surfaced claiming they misled viewers by editing a speech made by US President Donald Trump in 2021. UK Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch is demanding the staff responsible must be sacked for misleading viewers over Trump's remarks. UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacked the reactions further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has threatened one of his fiercest critics with legal action. He has compelled a London-based central banking news publication to unpublish an article about his tumultuous resignation, written by a former Reserve Bank senior staffer, turned blogger, Michael Reddell. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US share market took a hit this week, with leading AI companies seeing a decline. Market darlings Palantir and chip behemoth Nvidia were among the big names that saw a drop. Milford Asset Management expert Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.