Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A US judge appointed by Donald Trump has dismissed charges against the former President, accusing him of illegally keeping classified documents when he left office. Judge Aileen Cannon ruled lead prosecutor Special Counsel Jack Smith was unlawfully appointed - and didn't have the authority to bring the case. Channel Nine US Correspondent Lauren Tomasi says such a ruling initially seemed far-fetche...

Embattled ex-Green MP Darleen Tana has broken her silence after backing away from the party. Tana spoke to 1News in her first sit-down interview since she quit the Greens - but she hasn't confirmed any plans to leave Parliament altogether.  ZB political editor Jason Walls says it's unlikely Darleen Tana will step down. "She says she's going to be making a decision soon. My read on all of this - it...

Over in Australia, Opposition leader Peter Dutton is winning over voters in a new poll. According to a national Resolve poll, 38 percent of voters now support the Coalition, while Labour dropped to 28 percent. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this is the lowest rating for Labour since Prime Minister Albanese entered Government. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

Tributes are flooding in following the death of nine-test All Blacks hooker Norm Hewitt. Hewitt was involved in one of the most monumental face-to-face haka confrontations with England's Richard Cockerill at Old Trafford in November 1997. He went on to win the inaugural Dancing With The Stars in 2005, which included a flawless paso doble Hewitt died of motor neurone disease, aged 55. ZB sports com...

The Transport Minister says speedsters will still be caught - even with signs warning them cameras are ahead. More than 100 signs are being rolled out onto New Zealand roads over the coming year. Minister Simeon Brown says it will give motorists a chance to slow before they enter high-crash areas. But he says there will only be signs for fixed cameras. "These signs are about providing forewarning...

Jobseekers who miss a case manager phone appointment - without good reason - could face sanctions. Social Development Minister Louise Upston has announced a new phone case management service for young job seekers, due to expand to 4,000 people. She says being a beneficiary has work obligations, including taking the phone call. "And if they don't do that and they don't have a sufficient reason for...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 12 July 2024, Joe Biden confused Russian leader Vladimir Putin with Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and then spoke about his Vice-President Donald Trump. Is this the end of his presidential hopes?   Iconic Auckland restaurant SPQR has gone into liquidation, and none other than Kerre Woodham is mourning the loss of her regular.   The...

There's a belief changes to road cone use will help strike a better balance between safety and minimising disruption.   The Government's announced a new risk-based approach to temporary traffic management rather than requiring a certain number of cones per project.   NZTA will also have to publicly report on its total cone spending per quarter.   Temporary traffic management industry steering grou...

The three women killed in a UK crossbow attack are understood to be the wife and two daughters of a well-known BBC commentator. British police have found the 26-year-old suspect behind the attack, who is currently undergoing medical treatment for injuries. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the country is in shock after the attack. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert explains how Mastercard's market performance is impacted by the concerns global investors have raised. Recently, investors have been focused on slower economic growth expectations in the US, as well as regulatory risk and the impact this has on new technology like open banking. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

New Zealand’s best young farmers are preparing to take over Waikato to battle it out at one of the country’s most prestigious farming contests. The FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final kicks off in Hamilton on Thursday, July 11 and runs over three days. The Country's Rowena Duncum explains what to expect from the event. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists say falling food prices are a certain sign inflation's going down - but we may have to wait to get the full picture.  Annual food prices have decreased for the first time in six years - sliding 0.3 percent in the year ending June. Despite this, NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann says more data in other industries is needed to confirm if inflation is reducing. LISTEN ABOVE See...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 11 July 2024, Interislander boss Duncan Roy fronts up after a leaked memo into the Aratere grounding says an accidentally pushed button is to blame. Chris Luxon met with US president Joe Biden at the White House for dinner. Political correspondent Jason Walls has the inside word on what was talked about. BBC Rugby Commentator Ch...

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Men's Health Week director Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! It's been confirmed the Interislander's Aratere ran aground after someone accidentally pushed the autopilot button and couldn't switch it off. How bad does this look? Should the company stop hiding behind inquiries? Does Joe Biden...

Synlait Milk will live to see another day after winning shareholder approval for a last-minute loan. The shareholders have approved the company taking out a $130 million loan from Bright Dairy, after a nail-biting waiting period. Synlait chairperson George Adams is 'relieved' the vote worked out. "It wasn't close at all, actually. We had 99.6 percent of our shareholders voting in favour. So it was...

One expert is weighing in on England's chances to turn their luck around against the All Blacks. Both nations have named their teams for the match, with Scott Robertson making one injury-enforced change to the starting lineup for Saturday's match. BBC rugby commentator Chris Jones says England's been on a good trajectory - and can identify what to do against the All Blacks this time.  "They would...

Air New Zealand entered the G-string debate and added 41,000 more seats to the Pacific this summer. The move comes after a New Plymouth swimming pool considered banning g-string bikinis following a petition from a concerned mum. Air New Zealand Chief Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says they saw an opportunity and took it, claiming customers should have freedom of choice when it comes to swimwear. "...

Prime Minister Chris Luxon's enjoyed a variety of discussions with fellow leaders in Washington DC for the NATO Summit. President Joe Biden has hosted a White House dinner with NATO partners. ZB political editor Jason Walls is travelling with the Prime Minister. He says Luxon described meeting Biden, and some other interactions, in a statement to media. "He didn't go into detail in the statement a...

Interislander executives are waiting for results of full investigations into Aratere's grounding near Picton last month, and aren't being drawn on speculation. The Aratere has now arrived in Wellington, with its post grounding detention notice lifted. A leaked safety bulletin suggests the ship was accidentally put in auto-pilot before running aground. Interislander Executive General Manager Duncan...

A good outcome for the Prime Minister at NATO, as he rubbed shoulders with several world leaders. Chris Luxon has met US President Joe Biden, while he hosted NATO partners at the White House. He's also spoken with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon talking with Starmer has weight. LISTEN ABOVE See...

A father in Sydney has been charged with murder for allegedly setting the house fire that killed three of his children. Two boys, aged two and six, and a five-month-old baby girl died in their Lalor Park family home last Sunday. The man allegedly blocked the children from leaving the home as it burned, stopping them from running to safety. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the man was char...

All Blacks coach Scott Robertson has declared Cortez Ratima ready for a test debut on Saturday night. There's just one change to the side that pipped England by a point for the Eden Park rematch, with Ratima named in jersey 21 to back up Finlay Christie who replaces the crocked TJ Perenara. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what this means for the upcoming test match. LISTEN ABOVE See omn...

The Government has launched a new initiative designed to reduce the impact of retail crime. Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith confirmed the Ministerial Advisory Group will speak with victims and business owners to form proposals on reducing offending. This will be led by Dairy and Business Owners Group chair Sunny Kaushal - who says he's grateful the Government is taking the issue seriously. "No one...

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK has a 'cast iron commitment' to spending 2.5 percent of national income on defence - but won't attach a timeline to that promise. Starmer has travelled to Washington for NATO's annual summit days after he won the general election. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says there's concern a proposed review could delay these plans. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.c...

The Reserve Bank's decision to leave the OCR in place was in line with expectations - but their tone caught markets by surprise. The Bank indicated inflation could return to the one-to-three percent threshold by the end of the year, and cuts could be coming sooner than predicted. Milford Asset Management's Katlyn Parker explains further. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...