Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

ACT leader David Seymour says the Government should stick to a planned increase to petrol taxes, despite the Middle East conflict driving up fuel prices.  Transport Minister Chris Bishop has claimed it's 'unlikely' the taxes will go up by the planned 12 cents per litre early next year. David Seymour says no one knows what the fuel prices will be like by 2027 - and we shouldn't cancel the incr...

Tonight on The Huddle, Tō Waha Media's Carmen Parahi and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The spike in fuel thefts has lead to police encouraging petrol stations to utilise pre-pay in order to bring crime down. Do we think this is a good idea? Chris Hipkins has apologised after making a comment Nicola Willis took...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 23 April, 2026, Chris Hipkins tells us why Labour took so long to back the India free trade agreement. We talk to ACT MP Parmjeet Parmar about a haka by a former Te Pati Maori president that's been called anti-Indian. We get expert advice on "poo taboo" - children who avoid going to the toilet at school. And on The Huddle, Carme...

What a surprise, Labour has agreed to support the India free trade agreement - although it wasn’t really a surprise when it was announced today. I told you last week it would happen this week and Labour would give it the green light because there was really no other way for them to go. If Labour had said no and blocked the agreement, they would have been accused of stopping New Zealand businesses...

The Finance Minister says politicians should see our downgraded Moody's economic outlook as a wake-up-call, as she pieces together her Budget. The rating agency's moved our designation from stable to negative, but reaffirmed our triple A credit rating. Nicola Willis says she's got a clear set of goals for the 2026 Budget - and she's committed to sticking with them even during the ongoing crisis. "...

Police are urging petrol stations to switch to pre-pay only, to stop people stealing fuel. Fuel app Gaspy is pricing 91 at an average $3.28 a litre today, with diesel sitting on $3.44.  Police say they're being called to about 100 more thefts every week, since the fuel crisis began.   Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny says recently, diesel thefts from rural properties have been rising.&...

More kids are reportedly feeling nervous about going to the toilet in public, and one expert is looking to explain why this is. A study out of Australia says the fear of using the toilet is getting more widespread, with more kids holding it in during school hours, which impacts their learning.  Psychologist Sara Chatwin says it's important to make sure kids feel comfortable doing what they ne...

The Government's launching a new HIV campaign - with the goal of having zero transmission by 2030. The '80's Calling' campaign's looking to correct false information from the AIDS crisis 40 years ago. It claims the stigma against HIV is still felt at some level - by nearly three-quarters of Kiwis. Burnett Foundation CEO Liz Gibbs says there's still plenty of ignorance around the condition, and the...

Labour's leader is doubling down on his concern about the India-New Zealand free trade agreement's $33 billion Kiwi investment target.  The party's finally agreed to support the FTA, but is warning businesses to proceed at their own risk.  Chris Hipkins says the multi-billion-dollar target is unrealistic.  He says down the line, it could affect businesses that redirect exports to In...

Labour's agreed to support the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, but isn't speaking highly of the negotiations with the Government.   National needed Labour's support to pass the FTA into law, because it was opposed by coalition partner New Zealand First. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained why the agreement is better for New Zealand's future. LISTEN ABOVE S...

Ratings have slumped in The Kyle and Jackie O Show's former slot, and the duo's former employer is looking to recoup millions in lost profits. Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson both face a counter-suit from ARN, which claimed the pair cost them key advertising revenue after their sacking. Australian correspondent Murray Olds unpacked ARN's case.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listene...

Hurricanes co-owner Malcolm Gillies has warned he'll walk away from his Super Rugby investment without drastic change. Five months into his involvement, the board chair says the current model isn't set up for investors, players or New Zealand Rugby to succeed. He's pushing for privatisation of the competition - and says he won't be patient awaiting change. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explain...

An ACT MP believes she was targeted by a haka over the weekend.  The haka, performed by former Te Pāti Māori president Che Wilson at a Waikato festival, appeared to mock Indian culture.  Parmjeet Parmar wasn't at the event, but says she believes she was targeted - as she supports equal rights for Māori and immigrants.  "I would say that it's deeply concerning, because it's not just...

The UK inflation rate rose by 3.3 percent in the year to March, after the US-Israel war with Iran caused the largest jump in petrol and diesel prices in over three years. The increase in the pace of price rises - up from 3 percent in the year to February - was in line with economists' expectations. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Labour is still mulling whether to back the India free-trade agreement, despite it being set to be signed on Monday. Speaking to the Herald after Labour’s caucus met on Tuesday, leader Chris Hipkins couldn’t say how close the party was to finalising its position on the agreement, but said it was continuing to talk to the Government “in good faith”. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshr...

The ongoing uncertainty about the Middle East conflict is impacting the markets, but there's some hope. Initial ceasefire talk saw things pick up, but enthusiasm took a dive after the weekend. Milford Asset Management's Remy Morgan explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Hill International is set to trial customisable engagement rings across some of its stores. The popularity of its TenSevenSeven brand has highlighted the increasing popularity of custom-made jewellery - and the company's looking to utilise that as part of a restructure. Michael Hill CEO Jonathan Waecker says more people want to build something special and unique - and they want to create t...

A view Donald Trump's got himself in a bind in his war on Iran - as he extends the ceasefire. The US President is claiming Iran's leadership is fractured and needs more time to produce a proposal.   He's continuing to blockade Iranian ports saying it's until Iran comes to the table with a plan. Middle East journalist Gordon Robison says Trump was looking for an excuse not to re-escalate the c...

Tonight on The Huddle, lawyer Liam Hehir and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  National has turned their attention to Winston Peters and indicated he could switch sides to Labour if they win the election. What do we think Winston Peters will do?  Will the US-Iran ceasefire actually last?  LI...

The fightback has started, hasn’t it? National’s leadership team have clearly come out of yesterday’s caucus meeting with very clear instructions: get the National Party vote back off New Zealand First. And they’ve come out hard. It started with Nicola Willis on Mike Hosking just after 7am, warning that Winston Peters might pick Labour after the next election. The attack from her on that show was...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 22 April, 2026, we talk to a former CIA officer about whether the US-Iran ceasefire will last. National goes on the attack, trying to eat into support for New Zealand First - we hear from Winston Peters. We explore whether your smart watch really is an accurate gauge of your well-being. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Liam Heh...

Millions of people around the world rely on their smartwatches to track their calories, sleep hours and workout stats, but new data has raised concerns. Reports indicate that smartwatches don't measure most of these metrics directly, with many common metrics just being estimates. Body Torque Personal Training founder Alex Flint says things like calories burned, fitness scores, and hours slept aren...

Minister Chris Bishop says he's confident the Infrastructure Commission has the expertise to advise frankly, and to the point, on big projects. It'll take over the role for publicly funded infrastructure projects in November, taking responsibility from Treasury.  Bishop says he and the Finance Minister have been concerned by the quality of information on infrastructure offered to Government t...

National Party senior whip Stuart Smith is continuing to deny he attempted to contact party leader Christopher Luxon over concerns his support was dropping. Smith faced the media today and reiterated his claim he had not tried to highlight concerns about caucus support for Luxon. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

A former CIA officer suspects Iran's regime will be allowed to remain in power at the end of the conflict - more hardline than ever. The US President claims Iran's leadership is fractured and needs more time to produce a proposal.   Donald Trump's continuing to blockade Iranian ports, saying it will continue until Iran comes to the table with a plan. Glenn Carle says the best deal we can hope...