Frankie McNair is an up-and-coming Australian comedian who won best comedy award at Melbourne Fringe 2018 and best newcomer and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2022.

Her critically acclaimed one-woman show, ‘An Intimate Evening with Tabitha Booth’ is coming to Q Theatre – starting tomorrow evening – and runs until July 6th.

She plays ‘medicated lounge singer’, Tabitha Booth in an intimate evening of unhinged comedy.

McNair joined Tim Beveridge on Newstalk ZB’s Holiday Breakfast.

“I won one of the biggest awards in Melbourne and I started panicking – thinking, I don’t know how to follow this up!”

McNair describes her 50s, Munroe era character: “I do go for that Trans-Atlantic, old-school Hollywood accent.”

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The fifth annual dolphin and whale count is taking place nation-wide this weekend.

The count contributes both a snapshot at the same time every year, and information about the marine mammals close to shore across time.

Whale and Dolphin Count Organiser, Christine Rose, told Tim Beveridge “We encourage people to go to the coastline and stare out to sea for a couple hours and report what you see.”

Rose said “It’s a celebration of the marine life we share our world with.”

She said “We want people to be aware of the whales and dolphins that are in New Zealand – at this time of year humpbacks and Southern right whales are migrating from Antarctica to the tropics.”

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Te Anau-born Swiss-Kiwi tennis player Lulu Sun has qualified for the ladies singles at Wimbledon.

Sun is placed 123rd in world rankings - she eased past Filipino, Alexandra Eala, in the third round of qualifying.

We’ll find out who she'll face when the draw is made overnight.

Newstalk ZB Sports Journalist, Dean McLachlan, told Tim Beveridge “It’ll be her second Grand Slam appearance after playing at the Aussie Open earlier this year.”

McLachlan said “She’s just switched allegiance from Switzerland to New Zealand.”

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A new Uber-style app for truckies is launching nationally next week after being trialled in Auckland, Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

The Road Ninja app - dubbed the "Uber for truck drivers" will match businesses to truckies in their area.

Road Ninja Founder Bodhi Vette told Tim Beveridge drivers can set their own rates and get paid what they’re worth.

Vette said “It’s a driver-first platform.”

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The latest Crime and Victims survey reveals New Zealand's most common offence is fraud.

The Ministry of Justice has surveyed more than seven-thousand people, and it shows 10% have experienced fraud in the year to October 2023.

66% have been scammed by unauthorised bank transactions, and 20% were scammed making online purchases.

Cyber-security company Aura’s Principal Advisory Consultant, Alistair Miller, told Tim Beveridge “Because it’s seen as quite shameful – we ignore the statistics, don’t talk about it with our friends and family and keep quiet about it.”

Miller said “It’s become an industrialised process – there's call centres with hundreds of people working to defraud people – and now there’s A.I to make it even more automated.”

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Wellington Council’s decision to sell its 34% share in Wellington Airport may put rates up in the future.

The highly contested decision to sell the shares has passed - and the proceeds will be invested in a perpetual fund.

At least three councillors, who previously agreed to sell the shares, now say they've changed their minds - and the move to sell would fail if a vote happened today.

Mayor Tory Whanau has been criticised from fellow left-leaning councillors for supporting the sale.

Wellington Councillor for Takapu/Northern Ward, Ben McNulty, told Tim Beveridge “My progressive colleagues ran on a platform on opposing the privatisation of our assets.”

McNulty said “Wellington is not a very diversified city compared to Auckland and Christchurch.”

He said “We have rates, parking and the airport.”

“The investment fund will not return anywhere close to the airport, because it has to be a green fund.”

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Transporting New Zealand says the Government's struck a good spending balance – with investment in the future.

The government's announced the finalisation of its Policy Statement on Land Transport, to the tune of $22 billion.

It'll be used to improve road maintenance, build roads of national significance, improve public transport, and bring in roadside drug testing.

Transporting NZ Policy Lead, Billy Clemens, told Tim Beveridge “This will ensure roads work for New Zealanders.”

Clemens said “Truck operators pay a lot toward roads, but as long as there’s good maintenance, they’re happy to pay.”

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Self-taught rocket scientist Sir Peter Beck had humble beginnings as a Fisher & Paykel Appliances apprentice.

Since 2006, he’s been chief executive of Rocket Lab – which has been pivotal in growing New Zealand’s $1.69 billion space industry.

Employing 1,800 staff, Beck’s Rocket Lab is second only to Elon Musk’s Space X as the most prolific commercial launch provider globally.

It has worked with Nasa on multiple missions and launched the first rocket in the Southern Hemisphere to reach space in 2009.

Rocket Lab CEO Sir Peter Beck told Tim Beveridge “I was sitting on a place at the time, halfway across the United States. When I received the email, it was unexpected – I'm tremendously humbled.”

Beck said “For all the engineers in the space industry and entrepreneurs of New Zealand – there’s aways a big team and lots of people help. It’s a recognition of those people.”

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