Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Donald Trump's swift actions from the day he's taken office could indicate he's learned since his first term.  The 47th President has already signed a significant number of executive orders, relating to border security, inflation, and even gender issues.  In just two orders, he revoked nearly 80 of Joe Biden's presidential actions, and he's pardoned more than a thousand convicts from the...

As kids get ready to head back to school, educators are worried about a lack of teachers - with a shortage of about 346 full time teachers sparking concerns. The PPTA's Chris Abercrombie says New Zealand is competing with the rest of the world for staff.  He says New Zealand needs to be an attractive place for domestic teachers to stay, and for overseas teachers to move to.  "The Governm...

National's upcoming caucus retreat is set to take place tomorrow - as the Party recovers from Sunday's surprise Cabinet reshuffle. Prime Minister Chris Luxon raised a few eyebrows following his ministerial shakeup, with multiple MPs being moved down the rankings and losing their portfolios. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Luxon cares about generating results, and he's not above chopp...

The Serbian Council of Australia is calling for broadcaster Tony Jones to be sacked following his comments about Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. Representatives claimed members of Australia's Serbian community filed complaints after Jones insulted Djokovic to a crowd of fans during a live cross. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says some fans were offended by the remarks - but others be...

Kiwi doubles specialist Erin Routliffe faces a gruelling schedule in the Melbourne heat on day 10 at the Australian Open. Routliffe had her women's doubles quarterfinal with partner Gaby Dabrowski earlier today, before she returns to the court for her mixed doubles last-eight match with Kiwi Michael Venus. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a growing push to make banking more accessible for the disabled - and one major bank aims to launch a solution. A new Westpac-commissioned found nearly one in four Kiwis have a disability, and can encounter barriers to accessing accounts and services. The bank wants to introduce a new 'basic' bank account, to help reduce numbers of people not using banking. Chief executive Catherine McGrat...

The first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire began today, with three Hamas hostages exchanged for 90 Palestinian prisoners. Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher were taken back to Israel by security forces after Hamas fighters handed them over to the Red Cross.   UK correspondent Gail Downey says it's unclear whether the hostages will reveal the conditions of their capture at...

New Zealand's energy sector is hoping Prime Minister Luxon's Cabinet reshuffle will lead to potential solutions to the country's energy crisis. Yesterday's shake-up resulted in Climate Change Minister Simon Watts picking up the energy portfolio from Simeon Brown. Octopus Energy's Margaret Cooney says more innovation is needed to boost the sector. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

This week's inflation data will set the economic tone for the new year, but experts are hoping the final months of 2024 brought positive results. The latest inflation results from the December quarter will be out this Wednesday, and there's hope enough steam has been let out of the economy. Kiwibank Chief Economist Jarrod Kerr explains what we can expect. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Josie Pagani from Child Fund joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  What do we make of yesterday's Cabinet reshuffle? Do we need a Minister for the South Island? Is Simeon Brown a good fit for the Health portfolio? It's a big day for the US tomorrow, as Donald Trump takes back the keys to the...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday January 20th, 2025, Homegrown director Andrew Tuck explained why the festival 'outgrew' Wellington following the news it would move locations in 2026. Influencers and e-celebs are wondering what the future holds amid uncertainty about TikTok. Influencer and advocate Jazz Thornton revealed how she plans to diversify her output. Over...

Nicola Willis says her new role in Cabinet is all about driving New Zealand's growth.  The Finance Minister has been given the Economic Growth portfolio, formerly known as the Economic Development portfolio It's been taken off Melissa Lee - who's been stripped of all ministerial responsibilities. Willis says she'll now be taking the lead at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment....

First-term MP James Meager is pledging to speak to those in the deep south - and the top of the Mainland. Meager is the first National MP elected in 2023 to become a minister, taking up the new portfolio of Minister for the South Island, alongside portfolios in Hunting and Fishing and Youth. James Meager says he wants to make sure the South Island can contribute to economic growth. "That's a big p...

Online stars are scrambling to change platforms amid uncertainty about TikTok. The Chinese social media platform 'went dark' yesterday because of a US ban that aimed to force its sale to a neutral party.  Access is being restored after Donald Trump promised to delay enforcement. TikTok influencer and mental health advocate, Jazz Thornton, says the US ban affects New Zealanders by reducing eng...

A Gloriavale leaver has outlined his 'livid' reaction to yesterday's apology from community leader Howard Temple.  The Royal Commission of Inquiry requested an apology, after establishing a pattern of abuse. Temple thanked those who'd reported it - and accepted the Commission's Safety of Care recommendation. But former member John Ready says the apology was insincere - and shows a complete la...

Famous faces are appearing in Washington DC - just 12 hours until Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th US President.  The blisteringly cold weather has moved the event indoors for the first time since 1985. Elon Musk and other billionaires - Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos - will be there, alongside all living former presidents.   US correspondent Simon Marks says, notably, Michelle Obama...

Experts are wondering about the future of New Zealand's health sector after the Prime Minister made some changes in Cabinet. Chris Luxon stripped Shane Reti of his Health Minister portfolio and handed the role over to Simeon Brown instead. Meanwhile, Nicola Willis is picking up a new Economic Growth role, and Chris Bishop became the Minister for Transport. NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas...

TV presenter Tony Jones has apologised to Novak Djokovic for mocking Serbian fans at the Australian tennis Open. Djokovic vowed to boycott interviews from Australian broadcaster Channel Nine until he received a public apology, after Jones called him 'over-rated' and a 'has-been'.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Jones reached out to Djokovic's team after the story attracted worl...

Australia have won the latest SailGP regatta in Auckland, after beating Spain and Great Britain in the three-team final. The Australians won two fleet races out of seven and had three runner-up finishes to be the top boat heading into the decider. It was disappointment for the Black Foils, who missed out on qualifying for the final by two points. Sportstalk host Jason Pine unpacked the racing acti...

Wellington's Homegrown festival is set to move further afield - with organisers claiming it's outgrown the capital. The music festival's been operating at the region's waterfront for 18 years, but it's been revealed this year's upcoming two-day event will be the last held in Wellington before it moves in 2026. Festival director Andrew Tuck says they've been looking to expand Homegrown out further...

Let me tell you, it was absolutely no surprise to me to see my Facebook friends going crazy over Trump winning the election last night - and there's been plenty of hysterical predictions now that he's won. My absolute favourite one was from my husband, who said that Trump would take us to the brink of war. Hello - the world is already at war, we don't need to be taken to the brink, we're already t...

Several Greens members have been caught asking to use the private carparks belonging to Wellington retailers for a party event. These retailers were impacted by Green-led cycleway project, which took away on-street parking in the area. Independent Business and Residential Group chairwoman Urmila Bhana says this cycleway has negatively impacted several businesses. "Businesses are down 60, 80, 100 p...

Newsflash: Tui 'Yeah Right' billboard accused of being bad taste.  Whoa, for a moment there I thought I'd been transported back to 2006. Is it in good taste? No. Of Course not. It's a billboard for a beer company, for goodness' sake. Of course it's in bad taste. I don't think anyone has ever accused Tui of good taste. Given the extent to which the sensational details in the Polkinghorne case...

The Electricity Authority's report in to a toppled pylon has found the collapse was entirely avoidable. The Transpower pylon north of Helensville fell - cutting power to 88,000 people in Northland - after unsupervised, inexperienced maintenance crews undid three legs at once. The report found there was evidence removing all the nuts wasn't a one-off event. ZB senior political correspondent Barry S...

A charity boat was bringing 147 migrants that they'd rescued in the Mediterranean to Italy but the Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini refused.  This has now come to court and Matteo Salvini is accused of kidnap and dereliction of duty over that refusal to allow the the boat to dock, and prosecutors in Sicily have asked judges to sentence him to 6 years in jail. UK Correspondent...