Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Wellington Rugby Referees Association has opted not to appoint officials for this weekend’s fixtures amid ongoing abuse. The move follows three instances of verbal abuse of referees during weekend games. Wellington Rugby Referees Association president and chair Ben van Berkel says this follows an accumulation of incidents that took place over the past year.  "Referees are a resilient bunc...

Genesis is calling on the Government to ban incandescent light bulbs as New Zealand lags behind many other countries.  It says swapping them out for LED bulbs can save households about $300 a year.  Genesis chief revenue officer Stephen England-Hall says he's backing a ban because they're not being taken off the shelves voluntarily yet.  He says the difference between the two types...

There's a push to address potential issues with calls made by the child protection unit at Auckland's Starship hospital. A Newsroom investigation's looked into the team responsible for providing a medical perspective on whether parents have abused their children. International experts repeatedly found these doctors didn't consider other explanations, like severe vitamin D deficiencies, or injuries...

A former Trade Minister says he's very encouraged by National's election promise that it'll pursue trade talks with seven economies. It says it would prioritise trade talks with Brazil, Switzerland, Argentina, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Uruguay and the European Free Trade Association. It's also promised to advance negotiations with a further six countries over the next decade. Tim Groser says if you don...

China's understood to have warned our Government it's planning a nuclear-capable missile test within the next 24 hours in the South Pacific. Newstalk ZB understands China's told the Beehive today of the imminent test - the same day Australia and Fiji inked a new defence pact.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it's unknown when exactly this test will take place. LIST...

New South Wales police are investigating whether a preschooler's death involved cannibalism. A mother has been charged with murder after her 4-year-old son's body was found with significant arm injuries at a property in the Central Coast's Wyong.   Police say the 32-year-old arrived at a police station on Saturday afternoon of her own accord.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says th...

The Dave Rennie era is off to a strong start, with the All Blacks emerging victorious in their weekend game.  The 34-32 win over France in Christchurch saw the All Blacks score five tries to four. Sportstalk host Jason Pine recapped the action - and wondered if the Kiwi side could keep up the momentum for their next game. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greens want to beef up water regulations, including clamping down on nitrate levels in fresh water.  If elected, the party's promising stronger national standards for fresh water, more robust rules for wastewater discharges and phasing out synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.  Co-leader Marama Davidson says farmers need clean water too, and it's important to phase out synthetic fertiliser....

If there's any good that comes from this awful case of the man dying while waiting for help in Waikato Hospital's emergency department, it's that at least it's getting a lot of media attention. I don't know if you recall but basically the same thing happened in 2021 at Middlemore Hospital. It was strange to me how little attention it received at the time, especially given everything else that was...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 3 July, 2026, we ask Chief Victims Adviser Ruth Money if former Lotto presenter Russell Harrison should have been on leave on full pay for five years at the Justice Ministry after being arrested for money laundering. Michael Laws tells us why he's in the race for a comeback as a New Zealand First MP. Conservation Department senior...

If you haven't yet caught up on the drama involving the former Lotto presenter and the gold-bar smuggling operation, you need to hear this because it basically involves your taxpayer money. The chap's name is Russell Harrison. You might remember him from the Lotto draws. He went on to a job at the Ministry of Justice as a Kaiārahi, a Family Court navigator. He took the job in June 2021 and later t...

Meridian Energy's been granted fast track approval to take more water from Lake Pukaki.  The Fast-track Panel’s decision also grants permission to permanently install rock armour to boost resilience to wave erosion, when the lake's operating at lower levels. Major Electricity Users Group Executive Director Karen Boyes told Heather du Plessis-Allan that she has mixed feelings about the decisio...

Forsyth Barr stadium in Dunedin has a new face at the helm.  Phil King is taking over as CEO of Dunedin Venues Management Limited, the organisation that owns the stadium.  He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that his priority is, 'sort of focusing on our own strengths and delivering a bulletproof wide Dunedin business case to partners and promoters'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to make his first official visit to New Zealand.  His arrival comes amid controversial comments from foreign minister Winston Peters, who says that Indians will be facing unfairly tough immigration laws upon arrival to New Zealand Senior political correspondent Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan that you would normally expect the foreign minis...

Steps are being taken to protect our most vulnerable bird species - in anticipation of a deadly avian flu variant,  arriving on our shores.  The highly contagious H5N1 strain has been spreading globally - including across the Tasman.  Now the Department of Conservation's starting to vaccinate kākāpō, takahē, tūturuatu, kakī and kākāriki.  DOC veterinarian Kate McInnes says the...

A security company boss says ACT's newest crime policy could give clarity on how security guards can act.   The Party says if elected, it wants accredited security guards to have the ability to detain and remove people, issue exclusion notices, and use force.  Watchdog Security Chief Executive Brett Wilson, told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he expects only the top 10-percent of security...

The Prime Minister says he's shocked the Family Court gave a staffer paid leave for five years until he was convicted of money laundering last month. Ex-lotto host Russell Harrison was arrested for transporting gold bas for the Comancheros in 2021.  Chief Victims Advisor Ruth Money told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this is 'unacceptable'.  'As taxpayers don't need 5 years of taxpayers'...

Fresh New Zealand First candidate and veteran politician Michael Laws says he doesn't have too much baggage to return. He's a past National MP and has also already been with NZ First.  He resigned from Parliament in 1996, after revelations his secretary had forged a signature to grant a poll contract to a company his wife part-owned. Laws told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he's learned valuab...

Weather reports indicate the UK is in for another heatwave next week. By the weekend, heat is forecast to build across France and southern Britain with some locations reaching heatwave threshold temperatures. UK correspondent Enda Brady explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Humanoid robots taking on factory jobs seemed like a sci-fi concept, but more businesses have made that concept a reality. These robots are powered by AI to make decisions, and Tesla's San Francisco production line is utilising more of them.   Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Opportunity Party has outlined their new vision for the economy ahead of the election. The party's looking to invest more into technology and AI, strengthen the Commerce Commission to stand up to the supermarkets and gentailers and boost small Kiwi businesses. The party also wants to forgive student loan interest in order to draw local talent back into New Zealand. Leader Qiulae Wong outlined...

Tonight on The Huddle, artist and local Government politician Oscar Kightley and Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Chef Jack Crosti, who has worked for Michelin-starred kitchens across the UK and Europe, has criticised the Michelin Guide after Tuesday night’s inaugural awards ceremony in a post on social media. Do we thi...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 2 July, 2026, reports Indian migration is being tightened up days out from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit. We ask former trade negotiator Stephen Jacobi if that's a risky move. Police Association boss Steve Watt on sweeteners being offered by Queensland to attract our cops. Opportunity Party leader Qiulae Wong explains eco...

A Michelin-trained chef has criticised the Michelin Guide after Tuesday night’s inaugural awards ceremony in a post on social media. Jack Crosti, who has worked for Michelin-starred kitchens across the UK and Europe, voiced his support for Michelin coming to New Zealand, but described the ceremony as a 'joke' and questioned the selection process. He says this was a 'once-in-a-lifetime' event for c...

Let me hit you with absolutely the weirdest political news of the day. Michael Laws, it's being reported, is going to announce he's running for New Zealand First. The '90s called and want their man back. It's not a good move for New Zealand First, it's a bad move. Michael Laws is trouble. He was trouble in the National Party when he was an MP. He was trouble in New Zealand First when he was an MP....