Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

I am of the view that it is time for authorities to start cracking down really hard on bad dog owners.  When I was on maternity leave, apart from trying to ignore Donald Trump, I was trying very hard not to read too much news because I was just trying to get away from work a little bit.  But there was one story that I saw pop up on the Herald that I actually had to click on. That was the...

A lengthy strike carried out by bin workers that has left rubbish piling up on Birmingham's streets will continue after union members rejected the latest offer from the council.  The strike action, which began in early March, has resulted in thousands of tonnes of rubbish going uncollected. UK correspondent Enda Brady has expressed concerns about a potential health emergency. LISTEN ABOVE See...

Over in Australia, the RBA says its upcoming May meeting would be an 'opportune time' to reconsider the OCR. Experts believe that the global uncertainty over U.S. tariffs could have significant impact on markets all over the world. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says a lot has changed within the economy - and inflation has dropped down. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

All eyes will be on tonight's Global Dairy Trade Auction to see if the tariffs will leave an impact on dairy prices. It's been two weeks since President Donald Trump imposed a set of tariffs impacting multiple countries - and financial markets have been sent into turmoil. The Country's Rowena Duncum explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reserve Bank economist Paul Conway believes there's one upside to the tariff turmoil for Kiwis. Conway suspects the tariffs will likely lead to lower inflation in New Zealand, which will also lead to lower interest rates. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen unpacked the announcement - and explained the ins and outs of the Reserve Bank's new Kiwi-GDP tool. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio....

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 15 April 2025,  Police Minister Mark Mitchell tells Heather how the Government's managed to hit its target to reduce the number of violent crime victims four years early. Should a Minister really have to tell the health department to use the term "pregnant women" rather than "pregnant person"? A crackdown is coming for bad d...

Tonight on The Huddle, former Labour Minister Stuart Nash and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has directed Health NZ to refer to pregnant women rather than pregnant people. Do we agree with this move? The Government is set to introduce tougher fines for people who chain...

One expert is warning people to do their research ahead of a significant change set to impact older devices. One NZ, Spark and 2degrees are all due to shut down their 3G mobile networks by late 2025 - early 2026 at the latest. Associate Professor of Engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Mark Gregory says Australia did the same thing at the end of last year - and it sparked mas...

Casey Costello believes slashing inclusive language will help the health system connect with women. The Associate Health Minister is directing Health NZ to refer to pregnant people as women, and to not use gender-diverse terms. Costello says we need to recognise women have significant health issues. "So we need to be clear - we are targeting women and we want women to reach out and connect as much...

Working from the office could set people up better for a promotion than working from home.  Recruitment agency Robert Half says 58 percent of workers believe opportunities to advance correlate with office attendance.  It says 54 percent would turn up more if it was needed to get promoted. Managing director Megan Alexander says there is a mentality of out of sight, out of mind.  She...

The Police Minister is rejecting claims the last Government can be thanked for reduced victim numbers. The Government claims there are 28,000 fewer victims of violent crimes since the last election - exceeding its goal of 20,000. It admits the numbers are from a survey spanning 24 months - including the last months of the Labour's rule.  But Minister Mark Mitchell says Labour only made it wor...

Senior doctors will be walking off the job in May, looking for a 12 percent pay rise.  The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists announced a 24-hour strike would take place starting on May 1. It could affect 4300 planned procedures or first specialist appointments - and up to 4300 radiology appointments.  Association executive director Sarah Dalton says claims specialists make more...

The Police Minister says the patch ban for gangs has changed their behaviour, and made people feel safer.  Gang laws are among policies the Government's crediting for surpassing its target for reducing violent crime victims - although it admits the data is volatile.  NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says the Government will still need to prove if they can keep meeting these tar...

A response from the Australian Prime Minister after being dissed in a rap song by the Liberal party. The track released by Peter Dutton's Liberal party takes aim at Anthony Albanese's leadership - claiming he's ruined the economy and risen the cost-of-living. The voice behind the song is an un-named 'commercial artist'. Australian correspondent Murray Olds has been quick to label this move as 'non...

New Zealand Rugby remain happy with their player retention rates, despite All Blacks wing Mark Tele'a's decision to head to Japan after this season. The 28-year-old started four of five tests on the 2024 end-of-year tour. He's understood to have penned a three-season deal with Toyota Verblitz under former All Blacks coaches Sir Steve Hansen and Ian Foster. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explain...

The Government is cracking down on dog owners tying up pets for long periods.  SPCA and MPI Animal Welfare inspectors can now issue fines over dogs found tethered in poor conditions and displaying signs of frustration like excessive barking.  Practical exemptions are included for farm dogs.  Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says there was a 'gaping hole' impacting anima...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 14 April 2025, Heather is back from maternity leave! The Finance Minister gets a grilling over tariffs and wool. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan on whether the stoush between Chris Luxon and Winston Peters is a media beat-up or real. A driving instructor tells Heather why he doesn't think the Government should get rid o...

Last-minute efforts to keep British Steel operating are to be carried out today, as the plant races to secure a supply of raw materials. The Department for Business and Trade said officials are working to keep British Steel operational - and ensure all staff at the  Scunthorpe site will be paid. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says efforts are in place to keep it open - but things still feel quit...

The Trump administration's tariff announcements have left a notable impact on financial markets - and experts fear we may not be out of the woods yet. Smartphones, computers and some other electronics from China will face 20 percent tariffs, rather than the 145 percent imposed on other Chinese goods. The White House says the exemption is not permanent. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explai...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson of Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  On the Peters v Luxon saga - is there a genuine disagreement between the pair when it comes to our trade response or is this just a media beat-up job? What do we make of this? The new Polkinghorne TV documentary is out - have we...

Demand is outpacing supply in the small business market, as sellers wait out tough trading conditions while buyer interest is at record levels. Recent data shows new business listings fell 10 percent in the year ended March, compared to a 10 percent increase in completed sales. ABC Business Sales managing director Chris Small says there's been an uptick in migrants gravitating to smaller businesse...

The Finance Minister says the Government is still looking to alleviate the impact of the US' tariffs on New Zealand. New Zealand's current rate is at 10 percent - in line with a majority of other countries. Nicola Willis says officials are determined to engage with their American counterparts to work out a solution. "We're pointing out that our tariff regime is very limited towards the US...we hav...

It's a big week for space enthusiasts and pop fans, as an all-female crew gears up for the Blue Origin NS-31 launch set to take place in a matter of hours. Katy Perry and TV host Gayle King will join four others on the first all-women expedition in 60 years - rocketing 100 kilometres above Earth tomorrow. They'll cross the internationally recognised space boundary - and float for four minutes. It'...

The Tourism Minister says hitting more markets will pay off in the long-term.  The Government has pumped $13.5 million into Tourism New Zealand for marketing the country as a holiday destination.  Louise Upston says efforts this year to promote to the Australian market are already paying off.  She says there's room for growth.  "We're only at 86 percent of the number of visitor...

Texting words like LOL and OMG may not be as cool as it once was. A US study has found people using abbreviations or slang in texts sound 'stupid' to others. Massey University linguistics expert Dr Arianna Berardi-Wiltshire says slang seems to have become less common. She says changing tech may play a part - with phones now having full keyboards and predictive spelling. "Young people are much more...