In the Loop: University sexual assault, Covid changes and a new flight to NYC

A sexual assault scandal at the University of Auckland, wild weather across the country, and a new opportunity to get to America have dominated headlines this week.

All these are on the agenda in this week's episode of In the Loop. The youth-focused podcast by the New Zealand Herald is celebrating a new arrival, with NZ Herald Focus reporter Cheree Kinnear joining Katie Harris as co-host for the podcast.

It comes as the country prepares for some big changes in the coming weeks, after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the traffic light system is having a massive rejig as the Omicron variant of Covid-19 continues to spread throughout the country.

Vaccine passes and QR codes are being phased out and red light settings have been loosened for outdoor settings, allowing for full, maskless capacity at outdoor venues such as concerts and sports game, while 200 people can fill hospitality and other indoor spaces as long as they stay seated.

Katie and Cheree also discuss revelations a student at the University of Auckland who was found by a university proctor to have raped a fellow student was still allowed to study eight months after the complaints were made.

The University has since apologised for their handling of the case, after the Herald on Sunday broke the story.

And in Trending, they discuss the strange story of Kylie Jenner announcing what she has decided not to call her son, and why National MP Chris Bishop went viral on social media.

In the Loop is a NZ Herald podcast.

In the Loop is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes come out every Friday morning.

You can find more New Zealand Herald podcasts at nzherald.co.nz/podcasts or on iHeartRadio.