Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 17 April 2025, the cost of living is on the rise again so will the OCR keep falling? KiwiRail apologises for misleading customers about compensation. A lawyer explains the implications of the UK's Supreme Court ruling on what defines a woman. Auckland FC co-owner Ali Williams in studio with Heather to talk about his proposed new...

Genesis Energy has confirmed it plans to shift its focus over to coal, as gas production declines and no other suitable sources have been found. Genesis has made clear it sees a declining role for gas in electricity generation - despite the Government's attempts to get offshore oil and gas exploration going properly.  Energy Resources Aotearoa CEO John Carnegie isn't surprised by this - given...

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the term woman should be based on biological sex.  The judges ruled that the 2010 Equality Act's sex based protections only apply to biological women.  The decision has been hotly contested after the Scottish Government argued that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate were entitled to them.  Liam Hehir, partner at Freebairn and...

I've got a lot of time for Simeon Brown - he's a very good politician, but I reckon he might want to take the advice of Chris Hipkins - a man who was also once the Health Minister - and just tone down the fighting talk. Because accusing the striking senior doctors of the worst kind of politics is not going to help anyone. The only thing that is going to help right now is money - and he is simply g...

The Greens are reiterating the importance of combating climate change, concerned Kiwi buy-in appears to be fading. An Ipsos report shows the proportion of New Zealanders concerned about the impact of climate change in Aotearoa has fallen from 80 percent two years ago - to 69 percent. Greens Environment spokesperson Lan Pham says ignoring the climate crisis, will not make the problem go away. "We k...

US tariffs are expected to impact our next inflation figures, according to new reports. The rate increased in the three months to March to 2.5 percent - up from 2.2 percent to December. Petrol, milk, cheese, eggs have all gone up, alongside a dip in prices for international flights and games. Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan says the new tariffs could push inflation down because of weak...

Interislander's operator is promising to cough up for ferry disruptions. A Commerce Commission investigation found KiwiRail may have breached the law by suggesting cancelled sailings were out of their control. Mechanical events leading to cancellations will now almost always trigger compensation. Chief customer officer Adele Wilson says people incurred some high costs from cancellations.  "As...

Labour has clarified it does not support Te Pāti Māori’s policy for Māori to receive New Zealand Superannuation seven to 10 years before everyone else. Labour’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds declined the opportunity to shoot down the idea when first asked to share her view - but the party has since confirmed their stance. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says Labour's initial hesi...

Australia's AUKUS deal is facing additional pressures as the US is calling for an increase in defence spending. The US and the United Kingdom have both launched reviews into the multi-billion-dollar submarine deal amid production and tariff-based concerns.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says costs have already blown out to over $400 billion and counting. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com...

The departing head coach of the Wellington Phoenix women's footballers concedes he's unsure what's next. Paul Temple has not been offered a contract renewal and will wind up with his side's final game of the season against Western United on Sunday. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New images have given Aucklanders a closer look at the Western Springs Stadium proposal backed by Auckland FC and their billionaire owners. The images and a new video feature in a campaign to generate public support for the stadium, which has been called Auckland Arena. The website said there would be zero cost to the ratepayer with $300 million in private funding secured already to deliver the pr...

New digital border checks expected to hit millions of people travelling to and from Europe are set to come into effect this October. The new Entry/Exit System will replace current passport stamping, requiring visitors from outside the EU to register fingerprints, a photo, and passport details to enter the region. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this is expected to be a 'complicated' process set t...

Labour is staying tight-lipped, as Te Pāti Māori says Māori should receive New Zealand Superannuation seven to 10 years before everyone else. Meanwhile, the Green Party supports lowering the age of eligibility for Super for some groups in society. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says this has prompted a divided response. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Wellington Water has copped backlash over spending significant amounts on wellness-based perks for their employees. What do we make of this?  Former Labour leader Andrew Little has announced hi...

The Trump administration has hinted it could be looking into imposing tariffs on pharmaceuticals imported into the country. Pharmac has since claimed the impact of these tariffs is 'unclear' - as it's unknown how it would affect the price of medicines at this stage. Medicines NZ chief executive Dr Graeme Jarvis says it's too early to tell, and he doesn't want anyone to react too rashly. "Around 20...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 16 April 2025, Wellington's worst kept secret is out of the bag: former Labour leader Andrew Little is running for mayor. He tells Heather what he'd do with the much-debated Golden Mile.   Finance Minister Nicola Willis gets a grilling over the Reserve Bank's funding - is the bank getting a budget cut or actually a boost?...

ANZ is speculating interest rates will drop lower than previously expected - as the economy is predicted to need extra help to recover. The bank believes the OCR will bottom out at 2.5 percent, down from the 3 percent low that was previously predicted. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner says it's likely the Reserve Bank will give the economy an additional 'push in the back' to help boost a recover...

Wellington Water's boss is defending spending ratepayer money on skincare for staff and mindfulness workshops. The under-fire agency has confirmed it spent more than $10,000 on wellbeing workshops in the recent financial year - including nutritionists and skin checks. Chief Executive Pat Dougherty says it's important to be a caring employer. "Good staff are hard to find - you'll want to attract th...

The Finance Minister is confident in the operational funding she's giving the Reserve Bank.  Nicola Willis has signed the bank up to a new five-year agreement - 25 percent under the billion dollars sought by the central bank. Willis says she's peeled back the $200 million a year the Reserve Bank had budgeted for - to $150 million. "Not just - are we taking it back to that figure? But we're sa...

Researchers say junk food advertising needs tighter controls.  A paper has found children aged 2 to 17 see twice as many ads for unhealthy food than healthier options.  The authors want limits on online ads for unhealthy food - and a ban on using cartoon characters in packaging.  Co-author Lisa Te Morenga says such advertising intensifies the desire children already feel for junk fo...

Former Labour leader Andrew Little's feeling confident about his odds as he announces a bid to run for mayor of Wellington. He made the announcement this morning - and explained that the capital's in a fragile place and needs strong leadership. Little says he's spoken to people and found that the council has become 'directionless'. "I've just had so many people from across the spectrum and from so...

The Finance Minister has unveiled a major reduction to the Central Bank's planned spending. The Government and the Reserve Bank have agreed to reduce operating expenses by a quarter in the coming year. They've signed a five-year funding agreement, allowing $750 million of operating expenses, well below the $1 billion the Bank was asking for. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacks the a...

The US president is in no rush to reverse the wrongful deportation of a man to Central America. Donald Trump has been meeting with the president of El Salvador at the White House. Despite a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that the US must allow for Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return, both leaders are batting away calls. Abrego Garcia entered the US illegally in 2011, but in 2019 an immigration judge wit...

A new weight division to conquer for boxer Mea Motu as she eyes a return to the ring later this year. The former super bantamweight world champion will move up two weight classes, having lost her IBO title in January against IBF and WBO belt holder Ellie Scotney.  Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert has warned Aucklanders should be prepared for the chance of a volcanic eruption. Civil Defence estimates there's a 10 percent risk it could happen in the next 50 years.  It could cost $65 billion in building damage alone.  Victoria University's Dr Finn Illsley Kemp says we'd get a decent warning before an eruption - but every aspect will be expensive, including evacuating the...