The head of a mineral extraction company says New Zealand's rich in some of these sought-after critical minerals.

New Zealand and the United States are reportedly discussing a 'non-binding' framework relating to critical minerals as the US looks to reduce reliance on China.

Geo40 CEO John Worth says there's silica, lithium and antimony to name a few.

"I think we're relatively small by international standards, but there's enough interesting stuff here."

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As more stores across Auckland's CBD close their doors for good, Crane Brothers has reaffirmed their commitment to the area.

After extending their High Street lease for another 25 years, founder Murray Crane recently revealed the store would expand into the space vacated by Ruby.

Crane says Covid and the subsequent economic downturn have been tough on Auckland, but it's important to control the narrative.

"We had a fairly challenging time, as any business in the central city did, and the recovery has probably been a little bit slower than a lot of people would have liked, for a variety of different reasons."

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National and Labour are joining forces in support of legislation to tackle modern slavery.

Their bipartisan backing means the Bill can be introduced in Parliament, bypassing the ballot system.

The proposed law would require large companies to report their measures to avoid slavery conditions in supply chains, and fine those not complying or acting to mislead.

National's Greg Fleming told Mike Hosking they’ve taken learnings from overseas, particularly Australia, and will be going with template forms and the like to ensure this does add value, rather than just cost.

He says a lot of responsible businesses are already looking into the working conditions in their supply lines, so this is just aimed at the recalcitrants.

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