Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Black Caps are aware of the challenge facing them ahead of the first test against India in Bengaluru. New Zealand have only beaten the hosts on Indian soil twice in 36 tests - with their most recent victory coming 36 years ago. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the team's odds of winning. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tauranga City Council will wait until mid-2025 to expand charges for letting businesses offer al fresco dining. The fee per-square-metre of footpath use was meant to apply from July.  Tauranga mayor Mahe Drysdale says delaying its introduction recognises the tough conditions for hospitality now. He says they're now rethinking how high the fee should be.  "That's a conversation we need to...

Well, how good is that inflation number out today? 2.2 percent - we're there, baby! We're pretty much bang on where inflation is supposed to sit - at 2 percent, halfway between 1 and 3 in the target band. We’ve made it. We have had inflation run out of control in this country for three years, but we have finally got it back to where it’s supposed to be. That is absolutely reason to...

One European hotspot has had enough of British stag parties and hopes to attract more 'cultured' visitors to the region. City councillors in Prague have banned organised night-time pub crawls put on by travel agencies - meaning travellers will need to amuse themselves in other ways from 10pm to 6am. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the city hopes to attract wealthier tourists looking to explore Pr...

All eyes are on Stats NZ's newest release tomorrow - as Kiwis brace to find out the official Consumers Price Index figures. Following the Reserve Bank's latest cut to the OCR, the bank is confident inflation has dipped below the 3 percent threshold. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham predicts whether or not inflation will drop back within the target band. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

Kiwi farming experts are paying tribute to the women in their lives as part of this year's International Day of Rural Women. Plenty of organisations have taken the day to celebrate the women making waves in the nation's rural sector - and The Country spoke to some of the Kiwi women making a difference and smashing the 'grass ceiling'. Host Rowena Duncum explains further. LISTEN ABOVE   See om...

The housing market remains subdued across the country, with slightly weaker prices, more stock available and houses taking longer to sell. New data from the Real Estate Institute (REINZ) shows the national median fell 2.3 percent, to $781,000. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says prices are likely to stay low - despite recent cuts to interest rates. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/liste...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 15 October 2024, the Government is threatening to intervene in Wellington City Council. A crown observer, commissioners and new elections are all on the table - but Wellington City Councillor Tim Brown tells Heather in a fiery interview none of that is needed. Big debate over Health NZ's directive to nurses to communicate in Engl...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and former Labour chief of staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Two Auckland rich-listers are looking to get a helipad built at their Westmere home. Environmentalists and NIMBYs have blasted this move - and the proposal will need to face more community feedback. What do we...

ACT Party leader David Seymour has been quick to respond to the 'abhorrent' new prosecution guidelines set by the Solicitor General. The new guidelines have told prosecutors to 'think carefully about particular decisions where a person is Māori' - prompting backlash. Seymour has labelled these guidelines 'disgraceful'. "If New Zealand is based on anything, it's the simple idea that no matter who y...

Auckland rich-listers Ali Williams and Anna Mowbray will be facing community feedback on their proposal to build a helipad at their Westmere home. It will now be publicly notified, so opponents will get a say at a public hearing.  Herne Bay Residents Association co-chair Dirk Hudig says helicopters are incredibly noisy and dirty.  He says they're not needed in an urban environment - and...

Long-awaited improvements to Air New Zealand's Dreamliner cabins are set to get under way. New seats, new carpets, new screens and new Business Premier cabins are among the features customers can expect after the planes get retrofitted in Singapore. The airline's General Manager of Strategy, Networks and Fleet, Baden Smith, says the upgrades will make better use of the space and give customers mor...

A Wellington City Councillor is not convinced the Government will intervene - and is defending the Council. The Local Government Minister's taking advice on potential intervention. Councillors must find cost savings after u-turning on plans to sell the 34 percent stake in Wellington Airport - estimated to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Councillor Tim Brown says there is no ongoing dysfu...

Darleen Tana's appeal isn't affecting her former Party's plans to meet this week, to discuss whether to invoke laws to boot her from Parliament.  The once-Green MP resigned after an inquiry found she likely knew of alleged migrant exploitation at her husband's business. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Greens are still looking to have their meeting deciding her fate this...

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on the defence following his latest property purchase. The Australian leader recently bought a $4.3 million house on the New South Wales Central Coast - near his soon-to-be-wife's hometown. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Albanese has copped criticism over this purchase amid an ongoing cost-of-living crisis. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Expect a reserved leadership style from Hiroki Sakai when he dons the captain's armband in Auckland FC's inaugural A-League football season. The Japanese international will be assisted by two vice captains - All White Tommy Smith and Australian Jake Brimmer. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More universities have reverted back to testing students with pen and paper exams because of the difficulty securing digital exams from cheats. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, more university courses have relied on virtual exams - allowing students to bypass protections and cheat their way into better marks. Professor Stephen Marshall, the director of Victoria University’s Centre for Academic Develop...

 A public inquiry is to begin later in Salisbury, England, to examine how a woman was killed in a 2018 poisoning blamed on Russian agents. 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess died after spraying herself with Novichok - the same chemical weapon used to target a former Russian spy four months earlier. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the inquiry will examine the circumstances leading up to the death and...

Over in China, officials have outlined plans to further stimulate the economy amid an ongoing downturn. China's Ministry of Finance announced that China would issue special sovereign bonds to recapitalise its largest state owned banks. It would also allow local Governments to use RMB 2.3 trn of local Government special bonds to buy unsold homes. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explains what...

One Kiwi investor believes more New Zealand businesses should be putting money aside in order to expand internationally. Phase One CEO Mahesh Muralidhar says this would boost the nation's GDP and add to the economy. He says Kiwis have plenty of entrepreneurial ability - but they lack the ability to see scale like their international counterparts.  "The same entrepreneur, the same university s...

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! ASB's CEO is advocating for more taxes in New Zealand to pay for the infrastructure deficits. This comes after ANZ's Antonia Watson advocated for a capital gains tax. Can we find a better solution?  It's been one year since th...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 14 October 2024, one year on from the last election, how is the Government faring? Political Commentator Peter Dunne and Heather deliver their report card. Finance Minister Nicola Willis hits out at Wellington City Council, calling the situation surrounding the council's finances "a shambles".   The Huddle debates why another...

The Finance Minister has called Wellington City Council a 'shambles'. The City Council is having to look at its 10 year budget again after a vote last week to reverse its airport shares sale. It’s having to find cuts as the decision leaves a gap estimated to be worth hundreds of millions. Nicola Willis says the Local Government Minister’s watching the situation closely. "There are a number of opti...

One expert has rejected the claim that Kiwis need to pay more taxes. ASB chief executive Vittoria Shortt says New Zealand has to bring in more tax dollars to fund the infrastructure the nation needs. This follows ANZ's boss calling for New Zealand to introduce a capital gains tax. OliverShaw Tax Partner Robin Oliver says the nation can't be taxed into prosperity. "Our issue as a country is - we st...

Transporting New Zealand is in favour of boosting diesel reserves. Resource Minister Shane Jones is asking for feedback on increasing the minimum diesel stockholding obligation of 21 days - to 28.  Transporting New Zealand interim chief executive, Dom Kalasih, says a strong diesel supply is an important thing to have. He explains more diesel will increase the resilience of our domestic supply...