Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

An Auckland company is part of a consortium which has secured nearly $18 million in UK Government funding to help Jaguar Land Rover recycle old EV batteries. Mint Innovation, along with LiBatt Recycling and Warwick University, will help develop technology to extract lithium, nickel and cobalt from used batteries. Mint Innovation CEO Dr Will Barker says the company is scaling to be one of the leade...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 31 July 2025, Civil Defence Director John Price has defended emergency warnings sent out across the country - and says there continues to be a tsunami risk. Minister for Defence and Intelligence, Judith Collins, explains why the FBI is opening its own office in Wellington. Oil and gas exploration has been officially unbanned - E...

So the national emergency alarm that bugged a nation was the big talking point in New Zealand today. There's a million stories about the alarm, and here's mine:  The first alarm yesterday afternoon at 4:30pm I welcomed. I'd been out and about and didn't know about the Russian earthquake. So I looked up the story and quickly ascertained there were hours before this could become a problem. This...

The Government crossed the final hurdle of overturning the oil and gas exploration ban as of today. The bill passed 68 votes to 54, with all coalition parties in support and the opposition parties opposed. Energy Resources Aotearoa CEO John Carnegie has voiced support for this change. "We've all felt the effect of an energy shortage over the last couple of years - in terms of the threat of electri...

A former Defence Minister is commending the Navy Chief's stance on irresponsible drinking. A directive from Rear Admiral Garin Golding points to multiple alcohol-related incidents in the past month at various levels, domestically and internationally. It says alcohol undermines health, wellbeing and decision-making across the Navy. Current Defence Minister Judith Collins says no Chief should have t...

There's a new strengthening of the partnership between our police and security agencies and the FBI. The bureau is opening a stand alone office in Wellington, meaning they're established in all Five Eyes countries. Minister for Defence, SIS and GCSB Judith Collins says it will work on combating terrorism, organised crime, and foreign intelligence threats. "Whether it's people trafficking fentanyl,...

The cautionary handling of the effects of Russia's earthquake, which triggered tsunami phone alerts and some coastal evacuation, has been further explained. The 8.8 magnitude quake shunted tsunami waves across the Pacific - the largest to hit our shores, landing on the Chatham Islands at 51 centimetres.  Unpredictable currents are expected to continue until tomorrow.  Civil Defence Direc...

Oil and gas exploration is once again allowed in New Zealand. Coalition parties voted to overturn the ban introduced by the previous Government to strong resistance from all opposition parties. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls wonders what this means for investors - and if they'll want to commit to New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's parliament on Thursday passed a law to cut student loans by 20 percent - removing over AU$16 billion in debt for 3 million people. During this year's election, Labor made cutting student debt a key election promise, framing it as a measure to ease living costs and tackle intergenerational inequality. Australian correspondent Murray Olds explained that the student loan cuts weren't just...

The Black Caps are in danger of missing out on competing at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. It’s understood the International Cricket Council has opted to use a regional qualifying format to select the six teams to contest the men’s T20 tournament. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains why the side may not make the cut. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's keeping tabs on how much councils are spending and where the money's going. Yearly performance metrics are out for each council, showing rates rises, revenue, debt levels, expenditure, and whether the budget's balanced. Monitoring comes as the Government considers a rates cap. Horowhenua mayor Bernie Wanden says successive years of underfunding and borrowing has contributed to the...

The UK and France both vowed to recognise Palestine as a state if Israel doesn't agree to a ceasefire, but Israel has voiced opposition to this proposal. Prime Minister Netanyahu has accused UK PM Keir Starmer of 'appeasement' following the announcement. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Starmer remains committed to the move. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has given the green light to a partial privatisation for KiwiBank. The bank now has the opportunity to raise up to $500 million from investors.  NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains the deal further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After years of a historically strong labour market, there are now growing signs of softening beneath the surface. Work opportunities in the US are dwindling amid ongoing economic uncertainty, with the Trump administration's policies contributing to high unemployment figures. Milford Asset Management expert Brendan Larsen explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The UK is threatening Israel with recognising the state of Palestine if it doesn't agree to a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Is this a terrible bargaining chip - or you do what you've got to do? Australia wants to ban under-16s f...

You know that story about the gang numbers cracking the 10,000 mark? That's classic gotcha politics, isn't it? It doesn't count when the number is 9,999, but once it hits 10,000 - or in this case, 10,009 - it's a thing, and it's the Government's fault. Is it the Government's fault though? I mean, should we actually be angry at Mark Mitchell for this one? I don't think so. I think that wh...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 30 July 2025, Finance Minister Nicola Willis explains why she's given the green light for a partial privatisation of Kiwibank. Air NZ has a new CEO. His name is Nikhil Ravishankar and Forsyth Barr's Andy Bowley tells Heather what we can read into the appointment. Australia will include YouTube in its social media ban for under...

The New Zealand Chambers of Commerce have warned that the Government’s proposed ban on retail payment surcharges risks hitting small businesses with higher costs. Simon Bridges, CEO of the Auckland Business Chamber, acknowledged that the Government was trying to protect consumers from additional fees - but voiced concerns about what this ban could do for smaller operators. He says the ban isn't a...

Wider global recognition of Palestine is within sight - but it's unclear how much weight that will carry. The UK and France plan to join many national already recognising Palestinian statehood in September, unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire.  Our Government has joined others supporting a two-state solution and is open to recognising Palestine - in time. Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa...

Australia is extending its under-16s social media ban to YouTube. Legislation passed last year excluded blocking the video-sharing service, because of its role in education and children’s entertainment. The ban covered Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat. The  co-chair of child online safety advocacy group, Before 16, Cecilia Robinson says YouTube is as big a part of social media as othe...

Air New Zealand's new CEO appointment isn't a shock within the sector, according to one expert. Chief Digital Officer Nikhil Ravishankar will step up to replace Greg Foran in October. Forsyth Barr Head of Research Andy Bowley says he's unsure whether this appointment suggests a lack of international interest. "There's been a reasonable understanding that he was one of the leading - if not the lead...

The Finance Minister's floating the idea of listing KiwiBank on the stock exchange.  Cabinet has given KiwiBank's parent company the green light to raise an extra $500 million. However, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says this won't occur without an electoral mandate. "That will be for individual parties to take a position at the election - but I've been advised that any potential public offe...

The Foreign Minister's agreeing with an Act MP that recognising Palestine while Hamas holds hostages would be 'rewarding terrorism'. Simon Court raised the question in Parliament, after Winston Peters expressed support for a two-state solution - after a ceasefire and hostage releases. International condemnation's growing over Israel blocking aid and starving civilians in Gaza, including children....

People are scrambling to higher ground across the Pacific, after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake off Russia's east. It's recorded four-metre waves, with half-metre waves reaching Japan and tsunami alerts in effect for Alaska, Hawaii and the entire US west coast. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Hawaiian residents are 'scrambling' - and traffic is building up. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listene...

Netball New Zealand will dip into its own pocket to keep the ANZ Premiership afloat next year. A one-season broadcast deal with TVNZ was recently confirmed, with the 2026 ANZ Premiership being exclusively free-to-air. Chief executive Jennie Wyllie has not revealed whether players will take a pay cut, but says the governing body must invest. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTE...