Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Divers have resumed their hunt for the six missing people who disappeared after a luxury yacht sank off Sicily's coast. The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre-long superyacht, was carrying 22 people and anchored off the port of Porticello when it was hit by a fierce, pre-dawn storm on Tuesday. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says hopes are dwindling - and this is more likely to be a recovery mission...

A grim warning from New Zealand's largest construction company. Fletcher Building is reporting a group net-loss-after-tax of $227 million dollars, following a $235 million profit last year. Its residential building arm has been doing well, but it's had losses from its civil business Higgins and Australian plumbing company, Tradelink. Milford Asset Management's Sam Trethewey unpacks a tough financi...

The Commerce Commission has detailed several potential changes in a new 389-page report designed to improve competition in the banking sector.  One change involves establishing a deposit compensation scheme that insures the first $100,000 of an individual or business’s savings at a bank, credit union, building society or finance company. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny examin...

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Kiwiblog's David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Insurance companies are bringing in extra money - IAG posted a profit increase of 1000 percent. Whar do we make of this. Police will be cracking down on parents who smoke in the car with their kids after three years of loo...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 21 August 2024, Philip Polkinghorne's finances have been laid bare during his murder trial today. Chelsea Daniels tells Heather the court was told the eye-watering amount he spent on sex workers. IAG insurance has seen a 1000% rise in profit - Heather grills IAG NZ chief executive Amanda Whiting on whether we're going to keep seei...

Sky TV is recording a 3.7 percent drop in net after-tax profit, with its customer base at the lowest level in five years. The provider says it's dealing with challenging market conditions - and had to slow down marketing while it sorted out technical issues with its Sky Box. Chief executive Sophie Moloney says they've lost a 'disappointing' number of subscribers. "I want New Zealanders to keep enj...

IAG, the country's largest insurer, has reported a significant increase in insurance profit in the 12 months to the end of June. The company, which owns the State, AMI and NZI brands, said it had collected 19 percent more in premiums from retail customers in New Zealand than in the previous year. Chief executive Amanda Whiting says the company has worked through a big year for the sector.  "We've...

Should New Zealand adopt Australia's stricter licensing approach? The AA's pushing for change, prompted by figures showing 18 to 24 year old drivers in New Zealand are three times more likely to die on our roads than the same cohort in Australia. It has commissioned research by Adelaide University - which suggests Australia's tougher penalties and additional testing could work here. Study lead Lis...

A legal expert is rejecting the legitimacy of research into police bias. A two-year inquiry commissioned by police suggests there are ongoing inequities in treatment depending on people's race, sexuality, gender, and mental health. It's found Māori men are more likely to be stopped, tasered, and prosecuted, compared with Pakeha. Lawyer Steve Cullen says it's a 'bizarre' allegation. "There might be...

I'm very much on the side of the cops over whether they should be pinging people for smoking in cars with kids. You'll have caught up on this by now - we've found out police have not been enforcing the law since it was passed three years ago, they haven’t issued a single fine over it, and it's deliberate. And the Police Union says the reason is because, frankly, cops are busy. And this is not a co...

A deep dive into Philip Polkinghorne's finances - and payments for sex - was carried out as his murder trial hits its halfway point. The eye surgeon is accused of killing his wife, Pauline Hanna, in their Remuera home in 2021. The Court today's heard about the large sums Polkinghorne paid to numerous sex workers. Newstalk ZB's Chelsea Daniels says he was largely in control of the couple's bank acc...

Former First Lady Michelle Obama drew in a standing ovation during her speech at the Democratic National Convention. She and Barack Obama turned up to the Chicago event to endorse Kamala Harris and get some jabs in against Donald Trump. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Michelle stole the show before the former president delivered his address. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/liste...

The Obamas turned up to address party faithful at the Democratic National Convention. The former President and First Lady together endorsed Kamala Harris at the event, ahead of Harris formally accepting the presidential nomination. US correspondent Logan Church says Michelle Obama came out with some fiery language in her speech. "She's always been somewhat of a reluctant campaigner over the years,...

The coach of world tennis number one Jannik Sinner admits the cloud of a potential doping ban has taken its toll on the young Italian star. Sinner's been fined and stripped of ranking points - but cleared of any suspension for a pair of positive tests for an anabolic steroid in March. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the controversy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Wellington-based iwi Ngāti Toa Rangatira has asked ACT leader David Seymour to front up and debate the Treaty Principles Bill. Te Rūnanga o Toa Rangatira chief executive Helmut Modlik has labelled Seymour's suggestions to have a national conversation about the Treaty a 'charade'. Modlik says he hopes this debate will receive plenty of media coverage. "The audience for the debate I'm hoping for isn...

A new book has revealed what the late Queen Elizabeth really thought of former President Donald Trump. According to   A Voyage Around The Queen , the deceased ruler found Trump to be 'very rude' during his visits to the UK in 2018 and 2019. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this contradicts Trump's claim that he was her favourite guest hosted at Windsor Castle. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/liste...

Homeowners have been able to breathe a sigh of relief following the Reserve Bank's decision to cut the OCR. The cash rate was cut by 25 basis points after their August meeting, down to 5.25 percent.  HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham explains that the RBNZ had to meet expectations to keep the economy in check. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's green shoots returning to the housing market, according to the Real Estate Institute. REINZ data shows the volume of sales rose 14.5 percent year-on-year and nearly 20 percent month-on-month. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen unpacks what this news means following the recent OCR cut. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Auckland Councillor Richard Hills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Darleen Tana has maintained that they're not leaving Parliament and they'll fight back against the Green Party's attempts to oust her. Do we think the Greens will take the risk and use the waka-jumping law? The Commerce Commi...

Mercury Energy has lifted its net profit by 159 percent in the June year to $290 million. The company’s earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and financial instruments came to $877m, up 4 percent on the previous year. Mercury CEO Vince Hawksworth has pushed back against accusations of profiteering from Minister Shane Jones. "If you look at today's result, and yes, it was a very...

For once, we have a Commerce Commission study that isn’t going nowhere. Nicola Willis says she's going to do what the Commerce Commission has recommended in the banking study out today - and she'll do all 14 recommendations. This is a little surprise, isn’t it? Because we have got very used to these studies coming out and pretty much nothing of any substance being done. We've had the petrol study,...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 20 August 2024, the Finance Minister has declared war on the "cosy pillow fights" between the big banks. Darleen Tana tells Heather they won't leave Parliament and is pushing back at the "cancel culture" that led to their ousting from the Green Party. Mercury Energy boss Vince Hawksworth defends his company's 159% profit rise dur...

Kiwi wine company Selaks has launched its first 5 percent offering amid increased demand for alcohol-free and low-alcohol beverages. Selaks Origins Breeze 5% promises a low alcohol experience, with each bottle containing three standard drinks. General Manager of Sales and Marketing, Olly Wilson, says this gives consumers more choice. "This is the first time we've had a 5 percent product available,...

Darleen Tana says they have support within the Green Party to stay. They've refused the Party's repeated requests to resign from Parliament. Tana today argued Parliament's proportionality isn't affected, because Te Pati Maori is submitting their vote via proxy - aligned with Green positions. Tana says they're not staying for the money, but because they're kaupapa-driven. "I'm listening to my commu...

New reports have unveiled a disturbing discovery in Sydney's drinking water.  'Forever chemicals' with links to cancer have been found in several drinking catchments across the region - that serve millions of Australians. Australian correspondent Sam Emery says investigations are still ongoing into the extent of the damage. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.