Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The security around Taylor Swift has been strengthened ahead of the singer's London shows. Swift is set to perform five nights at Wembley Stadium in the UK capital in her first appearance on stage since a terror threat led to her Vienna shows getting cancelled. UK correspondent Enda Brady says fans without tickets have been asked not to gather outside the venue to listen to the gig. LISTEN ABOVE S...

A few years ago, the Metaverse was the biggest talking point in the world of technology. Meanwhile in 2024, the virtual platform has declined in popularity and the market has moved on. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains what happened. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's wide-reaching banking inquiry has been met with support from Federated Farmers. Banking spokesperson Richard McIntyre has claimed this inquiry will shine a light on the levels of competition, profitability and transparency in rural lending - information farmers have been waiting for. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

New data from has confirmed food prices are up - but not as much as predicted. Stats NZ reports show food prices have increased by 0.6 percent in the 12 months to July. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says this is good news for the economy following the recent OCR cut. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced a new immigration pathway for essential seasonal workers. It has created a new subcategory of the Specific Purpose Work Visa - to help employers in upcoming seasonal peaks. Roles must pay at least $29.66 per hour, and offer at least 30 hours each week. EMA's Alan McDonald says these changes will be welcomed by the business sector. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listen...

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Mark Sainsbury and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! North Korea is set to open back up to tourists at the end of the year. Would we go? We've gotten a look at the new school lunches menu - what do we think? Will these be fit for purpose? Eden Park has asked the council to let it host twice as many co...

The All Blacks lineup has entered the spotlight, with four changes made for Saturday's rematch against the Pumas at Eden Park. Rieko Ioane's swapped in for Anton Leinert-Brown to start at centre while Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan are the starting wingers. Ethan de Groot's out with a neck injury so Tamaiti Williams starts in the front row while former captain Sam Cane's onto the bench. Former All B...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday August 15, an expert from Massey University shared his theory about where the infamous batch of meth-laced lollies came from. Associate Education Minister David Seymour unveiled his plan for school lunches - and explained how it worked out to be so cost-effective. North Korea is set to open its doors to tourists again. Former Sun...

North Korea's set to reopen for international tourists by the end of the year. Two tour companies with connections to the isolated country have made separate online announcements - saying tour groups would be allowed to visit the city of Samjiyon. It's been almost five years since the country shut its borders due to the pandemic. Former Sunday reporter Mark Crysell has been to North Korea, and say...

The Associate Education Minister's unveiled his new plan for school lunches. Newstalk ZB can reveal nine sample recipes from the Ministry of Education include butter chicken, a chicken sandwich, a rice and bean burrito, and Thai chicken curry. David Seymour says these choices are the most cost-effective ways to keep Kiwi students fed. "There's every reason to believe that we're going to be able to...

The submissions are open, you can now have your say on whether Eden Park should be allowed to have 12 concerts a year, which is double what they have at the moment.  And from me, it is absolutely a ‘hell yes’. Give them 12 concerts, it's a great place for a show. I've been to a few shows there now - Pink, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel... and honestly, because of how good it was as a music venue, I strugg...

There's risk the needs of disabled people won't be met as their ministry is carved up. Support services are moving to the Ministry of Social Development, after a review found a lack of control over funding and services at Whaikaha. Disability Support Network CEO Peter Reynolds says the sector has been struggling for over a decade - and doesn't have faith in MSD. "As recently as June 30, three cont...

Over in Australia, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has claimed Australia should not accept Palestinian refugees fleeing conflict in Gaza, citing 'security risks'. Dutton's comments have been rejected by senior Albanese government figures, as officials try to keep Palestinian refugees in the country for longer. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Dutton has been accused of trying to stir up di...

Infrastructure is high on the agenda for the Prime Minister's meetings in Australia. Chris Luxon and Ministers Shane Jones, Simeon Brown and Chris Bishop have met with top-brass at Kiwi engineering firm Beca, and had infrastructure talks with the New South Wales Premier. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacks Luxon's new model for infrastructure. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/list...

Former captain Sam Cane has returned to the All Blacks in the way he played much of the early part of his test career - via the bench. Cane will back up the loose forwards in Saturday's rematch against Argentina from jersey 20 in his first test since last year's World Cup final. There are four changes to the side that lost in Wellington - with Tamaiti Williams, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Will J...

Auckland police have recovered more meth-laced lollies overnight, and are investigating a report someone tried to sell one. The fake Rinda pineapple sweets were donated to Auckland City Mission - which unwittingly distributed them in food parcels. Police have retrieved another 13 since yesterday, bringing the total to 29. Massey University's Professor Chris Wilkins suspects Mexican cartels may hav...

The UK's inflation rate has risen for the first time since December, ticking up to 2.2 percent in the year to July. According to experts, this rise is largely due to prices of gas and electricity falling by less than they did in 2023. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this increase was expected - but it's not good for the economy. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Volodymyr   Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces have now gained control of 74 settlements in Russia's Kursk region. The governor of Russia’s border area of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has declared a region-wide state of emergency - and is appealing to President Putin to declare a federal emergency. New Voice of Ukraine editor Euan MacDonald says it's unlikely Russia expected this latest bo...

Several Kiwi businesses have expressed relief as the Reserve Bank announces cuts to the OCR. The cash rate has been dropped 25 basis points to 5.25 percent - the first significant cut to the OCR since 2020.  Milford Asset Management's Katlyn Parker unpacks the wider market response. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's shock and excitement across the nation, as the Reserve Bank makes cuts to the OCR for the first time since 2020. The Bank's slashed the cash rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 percent. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacks what brought this change on - and what caused Governor Adrian Orr to announce this. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

The Reserve Bank says several factors are driving down inflation. It's cut the Official Cash Rate to 5.25 percent, saying it's now confident inflation is returning to the one-to-three percent target range. The Government is claiming credit for the turn-around - saying tax cuts and government spending cuts have been reducing inflationary pressure. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says...

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Jack Tame rom ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Reserve Bank has cut the OCR down by 25 basis points for the first time since 2020. Are we surprised by this news? What will this do for the mood of the nation? There's tensions at Health NZ, as Health Commissioner Lest...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 14 August 2024 -a huge u-turn from the Reserve Bank with a cut to the Official Cash Rate today. Former Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell and ASB boss Vittoria Short speak to Heather about the move. Drug Foundation boss Sarah Helm tells Heather what we know about the meth lollies that were handed out in Auckland mission foo...

The boss of Health NZ needs to go. Her job is no longer tenable after the stunt that was pulled yesterday, where her management team gave a presentation to other staff proposing that the way they would save money was to cut nearly 500 doctors and nearly 1500 nurses. It doesn't look like Margie Apa can plead ignorance or innocence on this one, because according to a source who spoke to the media ou...

ASB is welcoming the news that the Reserve Bank has cut the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points. This comes after the bank's run of record annual profits ended with a 10 percent fall in its cash profit as borrowing demand slowed down. Chief Executive Vittoria Shortt says today's OCR cut comes at a perfect time. "I think it's a really good thing for New Zealand households and New Zealand business...