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National releases its fiscal plan ... Labour has a policy to cut school uniform costs, political editor Jo Moir has all the action from the campaign trail. More from our series on AI policy: Chloe Swarbrick today on the Green plan, which includes the ability to opt out of the algorithm making decisions that impact you. Jacinda Ardern's media man Andrew Campbell was In The Room as she weathered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from Jacinda-mania to vax rage.

Midday Sports News for 12 October 2026.

Who came up with the phrase 'the team of five million' to encourage New Zealand to stick with its Covid response? Or arranged the media strategy that saw Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern do the 1pm briefings during the lockdowns? His name is Andrew Campbell and he has just released his book about his time with the former Prime Minister called In The Room. He was Ardern's media man for most of her time on the 9th Floor, dealing with some of the biggest events in recent New Zealand political history. Campbell spoke to Guyon Espiner.

The latest news from Australia with correspondent Amanda Copp in Canberra.

News from the rural farming sector.

News from the business sector.

The Green Party says it will regulate artificial intelligence so its benefits are shared with New Zealanders, not just the technology companies that operate them, if elected. Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said AI should work for people and the planet, stating: "We don't work for AI." She spoke to Guyon Espiner.

The gloves are off in the fiscal fight this election campaign. National has released its fiscal plan, ACT released its own fiscal plan at the weekend, and the Greens and Labour also with significant announcements on the hustings as well. RNZ Political Editor Jo Moir spoke to Guyon Espiner.

Why New Zealand's youth unemployment is surging; Health and Disability Commissioner still faces complaint backlog; Wrapping the week in politics with Paddy Gower.

An update on the latest news and results from RNZ's sports team.

Patrick Gower joins Guyon Espiner to discuss the week in politics.

An update on the latest news from RNZ's rural team.

The latest news from RNZ's business team.

A growing number of New Zealanders are making complaints to the Health and Disability Commissioner. The Health and Disability Commissioner says it's finally getting on top of a huge backlog of complaints, but more than 1,300 are still waiting to be assessed, and its funding has been cut again. Health and Disability Commissioner, Morag McDowell spoke to Guyon Espiner.

New Zealand's youth unemployment rate has climbed to levels last seen around the Global Financial Crisis, and economic recovery alone may not solve the problem. The unemployment and underutilisation rates are being driven by a perfect storm of a sluggish economy, business uncertainty, AI and unhelpful policy responses, according to the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, which has just released its Public Good Insight report. Daniel Hamill, senior economist at NZIER, spoke to Guyon Espiner.