Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

There's praise for the Reserve Bank tonight - from one of its fiercest critics. It's signalling this afternoon's double-cut to the Official Cash Rate will be followed by at least two more single cuts. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen infamously angered Governor Adrian Orr last year, when he accused him of 'flip-flopping' on forecasts and decisions. Today, Olsen says Orr's made the right...

The Prime Minister says this afternoon's double cut to the OCR is another sign the economy's improving. The Reserve Bank is also signalling it'll follow up with at least two more 25 point reductions by the end of May. Despite low productivity and net migration, our economy is expected to gradually pick up, in part due to rising dairy and beef prices - and the low Kiwi dollar. ZB senior political c...

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk sat down for an interview with Sean Hannity, which was broadcasted on Fox News. Musk was quick to flatter Trump in the interview and claimed the media was 'unfairly' attacking the President. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Musk also revealed he was going to endorse Trump for President 'anyway', but last year's assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania...

The All Blacks will play 13 tests in 2025 with the confirmation of their end-of-year tour schedule. The year will comprise three tests against France in July, six in the Rugby Championship and a grand slam tour to finish the season starting with Ireland in Chicago. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting faulty or broken goods fixed could be made significantly easier if a new bill giving Kiwis the right to repair becomes law. The Consumer Guarantees Act (Right to Repair) Amendment Bill is set to have its first reading in Parliament tonight - and if passed, Kiwis could be able to get items repaired instead of tossing them out and purchasing replacements. Right to Repair Aotearoa Coalition s...

There's finally some relief for Australian homeowners, as the RBA lowers interest rates for the first time since 2020. It held the cash rate at 4.3 percent for more than a year as post-pandemic inflation slowly cooled - but it slashed the OCR by 25 basis points to 4.1 percent. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says inflation is coming down, but it's still nowhere near low enough.  LISTEN...

It's the Reserve Bank's first official cash rate decision for 2025 - and many economists are predicting a rate cut to start off the year. The RBNZ is largely expected to lower the OCR by 50 basis points tomorrow, with two major banks already announcing rate cuts. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen says a significant cut looks likely - but warns the central bank runs the risk of overdoing t...

Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters is the latest to suggest New Zealand should back out of the Paris Climate Accord. He joined The Country's Jamie Mackay to explain that other nations have already pulled out - and he's encouraging new Zealanders to reflect on the costs of staying in the agreement. Jamie Mackay explains whether or not this could lead to friction within the coalition. LISTEN ABOVE...

Tonight on The Huddle, former Labour MP Stuart Nash and Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The IPCA wants new rules on how to deal with protests - and what responsibilities lie with organisers. Do we think these changes are needed? A damning report was released, revealing how Government agencies shared New Zealan...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 18 February 2025, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche speaks to Ryan Bridge after a scathing report found public agencies shared New Zealanders' private data and left it open to misuse.   Health NZ chief clinical officer Dr Richard Sullivan responds to concerns that patients are being denied specialist appointments b...

Fonterra dairy farmers will be able to earn cash for their climate efforts - beginning from June. The dairy giant has announced it will pay an extra 1-5 cents a kilogram of milk solids to farms that meet climate criteria, and more for some farms. The criteria takes into account emissions from cow feed, fertiliser, animals and drained peat soils - minus any carbon removed by trees and vegetation. C...

A police watchdog is suggesting the Government takes a closer look at laws for protestors outside private residences.  An Independent Police Conduct Authority report makes several recommendations for laws which would protest protestor rights and ensure public safety.  It raises the idea of a specific offence for picketing of private residences.  IPCA chair, Judge Kenneth Johnston KC...

Netflix knows we're more likely to be on our phones as we watch TV shows - and they're looking to appeal to distracted viewers. The streaming giant is looking to create more content optimised for causal viewing, with an emphasis on repetitive  plot points and overly scripted dialogue.  Film reviewer Kate Rodger says more and more viewers are repeatedly streaming the same set of shows in...

Does New Zealand have the capacity to send troops to Ukraine?  Prime Minister Chris Luxon has said he's open to the idea, after a meeting of EU leaders in Paris. He's also outlined his ambition to bring our defence spending close to two percent of GDP. Former Defence Minister Ron Mark says the call to send Kiwi troops would depend on what role, function, and number they'd be deployed in. "We...

A new standard for Government agencies handling data will be set after today's bombshell report. The Public Service Commission has released a report detailing failures by Stats NZ, Health NZ and the Ministry of Health.  It's after allegations surfaced in June that Census and Covid vaccination data was inappropriately used at Manurewa Marae. It's highlighted a lack of safeguards - even when co...

The head of the Public Service Sector says the Government needs to do better with Kiwis' data. A report into claims Covid and Census data were misused during the 2023 election has been released today. It highlights significant shortcomings at Stats NZ and Health NZ - and concluded the agencies failed to ensure data provided to third-party providers was kept confidential. Newstalk ZB senior politic...

Over in Australia, the RBA has moved to lower the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points from 4.35 percent to 4.1 percent. This is in line with predictions from economists, who'd noticed inflation had eased in the final quarter of 2024. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this will come as good news for homeowners, who have had their mortgage payments skyrocket over the past few months. LISTE...

Leon MacDonald is poised to land at an unexpected destination in his first rugby role since departing the All Blacks in August. Five tests into last year’s test season, MacDonald left his post as All Blacks attack coach due to irresolvable differences with head coach Scott Robertson. The Herald reports MacDonald is to join the Western Force in a short-term director of rugby role where he will work...

Health NZ is pushing back against the claims patients in Porirua have been declined specialist appointments based on their body mass indexes. A group of Porirua GPs have claimed their patients had been rejected for general and orthopaedic surgeries based on BMI - and they fear it's a tactic to manage waiting lists. Health NZ's Chief Clinical Officer, Dr Richard Sullivan, has stepped up to den...

Sir Keir Starmer would put British troops in Ukraine to help guarantee a peace deal. The US and Russian Presidents are holding talks on the war - but excluding EU nations, including Ukraine. Starmer's said lasting peace is essential to deterring future aggression by Vladimir Putin - and he doesn't take putting British servicemen and women in harm's way lightly, but he'll do what it takes to guaran...

A2 Milk has upped its first-half net profit by 7.6 percent - overtaking expectations - and announced its first dividend of 8.5 cents a share. Its infant milk formula (IMF) sales grew by 7.2 percent, led by its English label, which was up 13 percent, while China label sales were 2 percent higher. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly unpacked the factors behind this change. LISTEN ABOVE See omnyst...

One of our largest freight companies says it's yet to see economic green shoots. Freightways is reporting a 6.5 percent increase in profit in the six months to December. But it's dealing with lower volumes per customer in New Zealand. CEO Mark Troughear explained the result is down to winning new customers, and its Australian arm's performance. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

The Economic Growth Minister says she's had another supermarket express their interest in setting up shop here. Nicola Willis has repeated the call we need more competition to pressure prices. Speaking last week, she said there's been some expressions of interest from overseas, but would not say who or how many, Willis says since then, she's had another potential player get in touch. She explained...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! It's now up to the Minister whether or not to deport an 18-year old NZ-born Indian teenager. His parents are here illegally and are also set to be deported. What do we think about this case? The Destiny Church crowd made headlines a...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 17 February 2025, US and Russian negotiators are set to begin peace talks to end the war in Ukraine - without involving Ukraine. Former Special Counsel for the US Department of Defence Jeffrey Pryce speaks to Ryan Bridge about his experience negotiating with Russia, and Tenby Powell from Kiwi aid charity Kiwi K.A.R.E on what kind...