US Vice President JD Vance and his family have taken a trip to the Cotswolds - and his extensive security detail have raised some eyebrows among the locals.

The 20-vehicle convoy has prompted some backlash from the residents.

UK correspondent Enda Brady explains further.

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Tonight on The Huddle, former Green MP Gareth Hughes and Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Minister Shane Jones is looking into rationing gas - do we think this is a realistic idea?

Do we need to recognise the state of Palestine now - or is the Government right to wait?

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Meat processor Alliance Group says Dawn Meats is lining up to pay $250 million for a 65 percent stake in the meat co-op.

Alliance, a farmer-owned co-operative and New Zealand’s biggest sheep meat exporter, said the deal would give it an enterprise value of $502 million.

The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.

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Spark New Zealand is selling 75 percent of its data centre business for about half a billion dollars.

Australian-owned Pacific Equity Partners is taking the controlling share of the $705-million-dollar business.

Spark will move its data centre assets and operations into a new stand-alone company.

Devon Funds Head of Retail Greg Smith explains what this could mean for the business.

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A growing number of businesses are reporting losses and economists have voiced concerns.

IRD data shows that in the 2023 tax year, 107,360 companies out of 475,010 reported a current loss.

Another 40,670 were carrying a loss over from a previous tax year.

Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan says these figures are consistent with the current deterioration of the economy.

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I'm happy to report to you that it looks like some of us want to play the old 'should Luxon be rolled' game.

In the wake of the not-so-great polls that came out yesterday, there is a column by Andrea Vance - who I am name-checking because she's good and credible, and not just some junior reporter with an opinion.

In her column, she predicts that Luxon is in trouble, that his caucus is getting impatient, that speculation about his leadership has reached fever pitch - and that if it doesn't improve, she is not sure that he's going to be the one leading the National Party at election time this time next year.

Now, if this is really what National MPs are considering, they should ditch that idea immediately because Luxon's not their problem.

I mean, he is a problem. There's no debate that with personal popularity sitting at about 20 percent, he is a drag on the National Party - but he is not their actual problem.

Their actual problem is that the economy is stuffed and that they haven't yet figured out what to do to fix it, even though they've had 18 months.

And it really doesn't matter who the leader is, whether it's Nicola or Chris Bishop, or Erica, or Mark Mitchell or Golden Balls, it doesn't matter. They still will not have a plan for the economy.

Now, if they're worried about their polling right now, they should try playing the game of musical leadership chairs and see what happens to their polling then, because they're still not going to have a plan for the economy - but then they'll also have voters feeling like it's a shambles up the top in the Beehive and not sure what's going on there.

Yes, they have a problem and yes, you can see it in the polls. So fix it. Come up with a solution. Come up with a credible plan for fixing the economy now and into the future.

That is where the Nats should be directing their energy, not into undermining Chris Luxon.

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Health New Zealand is apologising after significant failings led to two murders in Canterbury.

An urgent Ministry review was ordered after an on-leave Hillmorton Hospital in-patient killed Laisa Tunidau as she walked home from work in 2022.

During the review - a patient gardening for 83-year-old Frances 'Faye' Phelps, killed her in her home.

Health NZ National Director for Mental Health and Addictions Phil Grady says they accept the failings identified in the report.

"There is an international challenge in recruiting mental health staff, they are the key engine for operating mental health services. We're focusing really hard on the country, but also on Canterbury."

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