Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Patrick Tuipulotu believes his body can hold up to the rigours of three more years in New Zealand Rugby. The Blues captain and All Blacks lock has signed on until 2028, turning down offers from Japan. Tuipulotu has been an All Black since 2014 but has often been sidelined through injury - limited to just one World Cup in 2019. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE ...

Lawyer Scott Russell says proposed changes to our lending laws only benefit Aussie banks.  The bill, currently before Select Committee, aims to lessen red tape for such things as adjusting credit limits and applying for credit cards.  Russell's representing 170,000 Kiwis in a class action against ANZ and ASB, and says the changes protect those banks.  He says they argue penalties un...

French police have arrested at least 20 people following a number of kidnapping plots targeting  cryptocurrency entrepreneurs and their families. Authorities said the arrests were connected to investigations into a recent abduction attempt in Nantes - and another attempted kidnapping in Paris in May. UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacks the investigations.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com...

The Reserve Bank cut the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent. The markets had already priced a rates cut in - but there was some uncertainty emerging after the announcement took place.  Milford Asset Management's Remy Morgan explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank delivered their quarterly update on the OCR - but there was a hawkish undertone this time round, according to experts. The central bank cut the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points to 3.25 percent, in line with expectations from economists. Despite this,  NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny noted there were some concerns about the economic future. LISTEN AB...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union 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 Government's latest OCR update was delivered this afternoon - what did we think of it? Are we getting dangerously close to 'stagflation' territory? Should we stop contributing so much to MPs' Kiw...

Some complex airline problems might be solved with another type of aircraft now operating in an Auckland warehouse. Air New Zealand has teamed up with Spark, Ericsson and Canadian firm Cypher Robotics to deploy a robot-tethered drone. The airline and the telco said they worked together to create New Zealand’s first private 5G network for business. Mark Beder, Spark New Zealand customer director fo...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 28 May 2025, the Reserve Bank has cut interest rates but things are much more uncertain for the future. Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold told Heather it's significant that the Monetary Policy Committee didn't come to a unanimous decision. Hairdresser Hailey Ashton with her verdict on the new rules for hairdressers and barb...

I don't really want to have to start on a bum note, but if there is a thing that we do on the show, it's honesty. So let's be honest about it. What the Reserve Bank decision told you today is how much trouble our economy is in. If you're in business, you already know this and you don't need me to tell you this. I was talking to a couple of CEOs yesterday. They were telling me they cannot see the g...

The Warehouse Group has appointed a new CEO after a lengthy search to fill the role. Mark Stirton, who joined the company in April last year, will head the group from August 1. Chair Dame Joan Withers says Stirton has basically completed a one-year job interview - and has continued to impress the board. "Rather than just anoint someone internally, we went through that thorough process so that we c...

A lawyer's surprised police aren't taking investigations further, following the death of a Palmerston North teen playing a 'Run it Straight' game. 19-year-old Ryan Satterthwaite suffered a serious brain injury on Sunday participating in the sport - and died in hospital on Monday.  The tackling competition is big on social media. Lawyer Matt Goodwin says most people participating would know th...

There's hopes poor financial results don't spell the final act for cinemas.  Revenue dropped for all the Hoyts, Reading and Event Cinemas chains in 2024.  Auckland's Capitol Cinema co-owner Roger Wyllie says the combination of Covid and the Hollywood writer's strike brought tough times. He says there are good movies out there - but interest is low.   "We've probably done 40 percent...

A hairdresser says the industry has lots of 'silly little rules'. Cabinet has agreed to all the Ministry for Regulation's recommendations - allowing drinks and dogs if businesses want them. Rules about the spacing of chairs and how bright lights are will also be scrapped from July. Hairdresser Hailey Ashton says she's always offered tea and coffee, but she might decline to invite the pooches. "I'v...

The Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Committee revealed it failed to reach a consensus today - before they voted to cut the OCR 25 basis points to 3.25 percent. But Westpac Chief Economist Kelly Eckhold says that's surprising. He explained that the fact someone is prepared to put their hand up and say they wouldn't support the move shows it was more a line-ball call than they were expecting. LISTEN...

The Prime Minister's brushing off criticism from Wellington's mayor. Speaking to Newstalk ZB today, the PM hit out at the city's cycleway rollout and water management - saying other cities are moving forward. Tory Whanau says Luxon should focus on coalition issues and the problematic Government's school lunch roll out, not punching down on the capital. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls unpa...

A message sent to the Trump administration - by King Charles from Canada's throne. The monarch has given the traditional throne speech to mark the opening session of Canada's parliament. As the US President speaks of his desire to annex Canada, the King's presence is seen as a show of sovereign support. US correspondent Jonathan Kearsley says King Charles and Canada were looking to send Trump a me...

Warriors coach Andrew Webster has joined the chorus wanting a mid-season break in the NRL to play representative rugby league - and stop disruption to club sides. State of Origin - which gets underway tonight in Brisbane - saw 36 of the top players in the competition unavailable for selection over the weekend amid a truncated five-game schedule. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further....

Almost everyone who moves into a new house needs to call back a tradie to deal with a defect, according to new reports. Data in the new BRANZ Build Insights dashboard shows that after they had moved in, 86 percent of new homeowners needed to call back their builder or other tradesperson to fix something after they've moved in. Greg Wallace, CEO of Master Plumbers, says tradies need to focus on get...

A horror car ramming at a Liverpool Football Club victory parade is not being treated as terrorism.  47 people were injured when a car ploughed into the crowd celebrating the Premier League title win - seriously injuring two, including a child.   A 53 year old British man from Liverpool has been been arrested.  UK correspondent Elizabeth Callaghan says tens of thousands were out on...

All eyes will be on the Reserve Bank tomorrow afternoon, when stand-in Reserve Bank Governor Christian Hawkesby delivers the bank's latest monetary policy statement. A 25 basis point cut to the OCR to 3.25 percent is taken as a given - but experts are wondering what the future path of interest rates will look like. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.co...

The 2025 Budget has come and gone, but the Finance Minister has confirmed raising the superannuation age was still on National’s radar after they campaigned on it in the last election. She's explained it was not on their mandates or the coalition agreement - but changes need to be phased in. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen weighed in on the ongoing debate. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.co...

Tonight on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Have police and the Government made a mistake saying every crime will be investigated after yesterday's controversial memo leak? Should they have tried to clarify? A teenager has died  after a combative run it straight-st...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 27 May 2025, Police Minister Mark Mitchell fronts up on the show to calm some nerves. Retailers are worried about a police memo that indicated police won't investigate shoplifting below a certain value. Tragedy in Palmerston North where a teenager has died after a run it straight type event. But is a ban the answer to preventing...

I think Winston Peters ruling out ever going into coalition with Chippy after the next election is actually more significant than many people will realize. Because Winnie was actually Chippy's only credible path back to being prime minister again. Without Winnie, Chippy is completely stuffed, because the alternatives are not real options. The alternatives are: One - being in a coalition with a cou...

The use of AI has become more widespread, with 77 percent of New Zealanders using it over the past year. Despite this, the new One NZ AI Trust Report found that nearly half don’t trust large companies to use AI ethically. Furthermore, 62 percent say they would stop using a company if they had concerns about its AI use, with top concerns being the misuse of personal data, job losses, and unfair dec...