Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex. Photo / Getty Images
An artificially intelligent robot Elvis shakes hands with fans, a retrial is announced for convicted killer Scott Watson and dates for New Zealand seasons are shifted to reflect our wild weather.
These are some of the predictions for the year made by listeners on Newstalk ZB’s Marcus Lush Nights show. Each year, the host asks them to come up with five predictions for the year - the more obscure the better.
Last year, listeners got a few right - that the Queen would die, a snake would be found in the wild in New Zealand, 91 petrol would reach $3 a litre here and Will Smith would win an Oscar for King Richard (although no one could have predicted THAT slap of Chis Rock).
One eerie prediction from last year came true a few weeks after the year ended - that the Coromandel would be cut off after a major landslide on the Kōpū-Hikuai Rd. This week’s devastating storm cut off the peninsula.
Other predictions were way off - that former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern would fall pregnant with twins, the Warriors would make the grand final and Mt Ruapehu would erupt.
The game comes with the disclaimer that predictions are not what listeners hope will happen - many predicted deaths of prominent people - but rather what they think could happen.
Hundreds of predictions have come in for this year with some dating already, like Ardern switching to the Green Party. The former Labour leader stood down on January 19.
Here are some of the favourites so far.
