The strong US jobs report is out and raising questions about further interest rate cuts.

A quarter of a million jobs were added to the market in December, causing the unemployment rate to drop to 4.1%.

As employment rose stock prices fell as a result of such strong labour market data.

Economist Brad Olsen joins the show to discuss how this will affect New Zealand, the Prime Ministers trip to the UAE and oil prices rising 3% over the weekend.

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Several Greens members have been caught asking to use the private carparks belonging to Wellington retailers for a party event.

These retailers were impacted by Green-led cycleway project, which took away on-street parking in the area.

Independent Business and Residential Group chairwoman Urmila Bhana says this cycleway has negatively impacted several businesses.

"Businesses are down 60, 80, 100 percent, they're either moving, closing, or heading into liquidation. And that's nothing to do with the recession, it's the carpark removal."

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One transport planner is looking into the feasibility of a fixed link between New Zealand's two islands.

KiwiRail are officially cancelling an overseas contract for building more mega-ferries, after the Government declined to foot the bill.

Nicolas Reid, the Principal Public Transport Planner for MRCagney, says there are other options available to cross the Cook Strait.

"There's options around the existing ferries and expanding those ferries, and also moving to a fixed link such as a bridge or a tunnel."

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