Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Philip Polkinghorne must wait at least three more days before a jury rules him innocent or guilty of killing Pauline Hanna. The jury has gone home after telling the judge they couldn't reach a decision today - having deliberated since 11am. They won't sit tomorrow because of a juror's prior commitment and will recommence 11am on Monday. The Herald's Michael Morrah has been in court. He says Polkin...

The Government's new bill banning gang patches in public and giving police more power to disperse gangs and bring in non-consorting court orders has passed. Last-minute changes extended the insignia ban to being visible in cars - and inside homes of repeat ban offenders. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says critics of the bill have labelled it a violation of free speech. LISTEN ABOVE...

Australia's national unemployment rate held steady at 4.2 percent in August. The number of employed people grew by 47,500, and the number of unemployed people declined by 10,500, according to reports. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this will encourage the Reserve Bank to hold off on cutting interest rates when they next meet. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

The All Blacks want to show New Zealand they can bounce back from adversity in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup opener in Sydney. Coach Scott Robertson has made four changes to his 23 from the side that lost in Cape Town, in the second of two defeats to the Springboks. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave sums up the selection - and weighs up New Zealand's chances of winning. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/...

The Government is proposing lifting the threshold for allowing defendants to elect a jury trial in an effort to reduce the number going through the courts. Currently, defendants can choose between a jury or judge-only trial in cases where their maximum sentence is two or more years in jail. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith is proposing options of three, five, or seven years - and is seeking feedbac...

Norway, one of the world's largest exporters of oil, now has more electric cars on its roads than petrol-powered models. Out of the 2.8 million private cars registered there, 754,303 are now all-electric - according to new reports from the Norwegian Road Federation. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the country aims to be the first to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2025. LISTEN ABOVE...

New reports confirm at least 68 percent of small and medium Kiwi businesses currently have no plans to use AI. Data from NZIER's Quarterly Survey of Business Opinion says many of these businesses cited a lack of understanding and perceived absence of value as the barriers to AI adoption. Spark Head of Data Matt Bain says the required training to properly use AI has put plenty of companies off.  LI...

Synlait's two biggest shareholders have brought it back from the brink. Shareholders today approved a $218 million capital injection from Bright Dairy and A2 Milk. NZ Shareholders Association CEO Oliver Mander says some shareholders were reluctant ahead of this vote - but plenty were on board. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Are the Commonwealth Games done for good? Glasgow has offered to step in and host a scaled-down version of the games after Victoria pulled out of hosting. Is this a sign of the end?  Oji Fibre Solutions is set to close i...

Consumer confidence has picked up in recent months - but there's still concerns about the future from some. The Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence survey for the September quarter rose 9 points to 90.8 points. Westpac senior economist says households will be in a better mood as interest rates come down for 2025 - but it'll take a while before Kiwis see the increase in their back pockets....

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 18 September 2024, 9 people have been killed and almost 3000 killed after pagers made for Hezbollah were manipulated and exploded in Lebanon. Terrorism expert Greg Barton says it's almost certain Israel is behind the attack. Where will all our paper be recycled now that the Oji paper mill is set to shut? Nicki Nicol from the NZ...

Scotland's come to the rescue and offered to host a scaled-down version of the 2026 Commonwealth Games. The event has been adrift after the Victorian Government pulled out of hosting, citing spiralling costs that blew the budget out to $6.6 billion. NZ Olympic Committee CEO Nicki Nicol says cutting down the Commonwealth Games will be a big change - but this is unprecedented territory.  "On the bac...

Instagram has made some widespread platform changes to make things safer for teen users. Accounts made by under-18s will be made private by default and notifications won't appear from 10pm to 7am. Instagram is also introducing more adult supervision tools - including letting parents see accounts their teen has recently messaged. Netsafe Chief Online Safety officer Sean Lyons says it's a good...

There's concerns about how the closure of a South Auckland paper mill will affect kerbside recycling. Oji Fibre Solutions will shut up just a week before Christmas - with the loss of 75 jobs. It's the latest manufacturing firm challenged by high electricity costs, following Winstone Pulp International closing two mills. Auckland Council waste solutions general manager Parul Sood says paper and car...

There's suggestions a sabotage of a delivery from Taiwan lead to exploding pagers injuring thousands in Lebanon. At least nine people are dead - including a child - and close to 3000 injured after Hezbollah-owned pagers blew up simultaneously. Hezbollah is blaming Israel. Deakin University terrorism expert Greg Barton says Hezbollah ordered 5000 pagers from Taiwan about five months ago to avoid Is...

New Zealand First leader   Winston Peters has claimed Parliament is in a 'state of decay', taking issue with what he believes is a sharp decline in standards. Peters and his colleague Shane Jones took issue with Te Pāti Māori MP Takuta Ferris after he alleged some in the House are 'masters' of lying. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked the controversy further. LISTEN ABOVE   See...

Music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been denied bail after pleading not guilty to sex trafficking. The 54-year-old was arrested in Manhattan yesterday, with several lawsuits accusing him of physical and sexual abuse. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Combs was also charged with narcotics offences, kidnapping, arson and bribery - and there's enough evidence to have him put away.  LISTEN ABOVE See...

New Zealand has struck early after Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat in the first test against New Zealand at Galle. Will O'Rourke winning the race to partner captain Tim Southee as the side's two seamers, with New Zealand including four spinners. The Black Caps - who have never won in four attempts at the venue - currently have Sri Lanka 29 for one. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpac...

As the debate over a second Auckland harbour crossing continues, one architect has proposed an alternative solution.  Reset co-director Garth Falconer has proposed a new six-lane ‘Waitematā Bridge’ positioned 500m from the Auckland Harbour Bridge, costing under $2.5 billion. Falconer says he's discussed this idea with Auckland mayor Wayne Brown - and he's open to additional crossings.  "We've had...

Former BBC news anchor Huw Edwards has avoided jail after admitting to charges of making indecent images of children. Edwards has been handed a six month prison sentence suspended for two years, meaning he won't see jail as long as he doesn't re-offend. UK correspondent Enda Brady says his career and reputation are in tatters - as it's clear no one will ever hire him again. LISTEN ABOVE See omnyst...

Farmer confidence has risen and bounced back to net positive levels for the first time since 2021. Following a small dip in the June quarter, the latest Rabobank survey found it had increased to a net reading of +3% from -25%. The Country's Jamie Mackay unpacks these results further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The soon-to-be-released GDP figures for Q2 will give experts an outline of the state of the economy. Economists predict the economy will have contracted again, as interest rates took their toll on consumer spending. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen outlines his picks for the quarter. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The weight-loss industry is on track to bring in billions by 2030 - and one Kiwi company is taking advantage of the craze. Calocurb was developed with the help of Plant and Food Research and it's selling itself as a natural appetite suppressant. CEO Sarah Kennedy the company is growing every quarter - and has attracted significant interest in the US. "The biggest thing for us in the US is not only...

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and AUT Chancellor Rob Campbell joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Teachers are concerned about implementing the new maths and literacy curriculum and have urged the Government to delay the changes. Is this a fair thing to ask? According to documents seen by Newstalk ZB, AUT's point-based system o...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 17 September 2024, a massive win in the fight against gangs took place today. Detective Superintendent Greg Williams told Heather nearly every single member of the Comancheros gang has been hit with criminal charges. Three quarters of teachers and principals want the Government to delay the introduction of the new maths and Engl...