Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A fresh idea in Auckland aims to make rides on public transport safer and easier. AT is trialling the flexi-stop system on bus route 18 - between the city and New Lynn - after 7pm every day until September. Passengers on the service can ask to be let off the bus anywhere along the route between stops, given it's safe for the driver to do so.  AT Public Transport Operations Group Manager, Rach...

Temporary fuel support is being funnelled into keeping rural schools up and running. The Education Minister's speeding up replacing diesel boilers for up to 70 schools. Our smallest schools are getting one-off $2500 grants - and student commute allowances are being hiked 30 percent for 5000 students. Erica Stanford says mileage support's more than doubling for relief teachers at remote schools.&nb...

MetService is defending the lack of warning in Wellington, before it was battered by torrential rain and flash flooding early today. Karori man Philip Sutton hasn't been found since his home flooded. Wairarapa and Wellington - excluding Porirua - now sit under a rare red warning until late tomorrow. A State of Emergency's been declared, with warnings to evacuate from low-lying areas. MetService's...

Isolated and rural schools are next in line for help with the fuel shock. Education Minister Erica Stanford's announced they'll put $37 million dollars into speeding up diesel boiler replacements at up to 70 schools. They'll also more than double mileage reimbursement for relief teachers temporarily and hike funding for about 5000 students' school commute, by 30 percent. Newstalk ZB senior politic...

Australia's Viva Energy warned it expects its Geelong refinery to produce diesel and jet fuel at around 80 percent ​of capacity in the short term. The refinery caught fire last week and burned for 13 hours before being put out.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says it's not as bad as it could have been - but concerns have been raised as the fuel crisis continues.  LISTEN ABOVE S...

The Chiefs have beaten the Hurricanes 22-17 in extra time to leap into top spot on the Super Rugby ladder. There's been two boil-overs across the ditch, with the Crusaders beaten 31-26 by the Force in Perth and the Brumbies humbled 33-28 by the Fijian Drua in Canberra. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Care for locals in a King Country town isolated by floodwater over the weekend, with some forced to evacuate. A State of Emergency still applies for Ruapehu's Ohura Ward - and a community hui's being held at its Hall tomorrow evening. Ruapehu district mayor, Weston Kirton, says the region's through the worst of it weather wise, but there's still lingering damage.  "When it comes to isolated a...

I know there’s a suggestion that maybe - just maybe - Moana Pasifika can be saved. But do yourself a favour and don’t waste your time hoping for it because I think this is going to be the club’s last season. I don’t relish saying that because Moana Pasifika was absolutely one of the highlights of last year’s Super Rugby season. But it has never stacked up financially, has it? The only reason it wa...

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 17 April. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A construction expert says customers could soon face price hikes of 25%. Stats NZ data shows petrol prices rose almost 19% last month, while diesel prices were up almost 43%. AUT Professor John Tookey says the industry heavily relies on oil for producing and transporting materials. He says the destruction of oil wells and processing facilities in the Middle East could take years or decades to rebu...

In my opinion, National MPs need to bite the bullet and ask Chris Luxon to step aside. I don’t enjoy saying this because personally I like Chris Luxon and have a fair amount of respect for him. But I think the chances are now very high that this is going to happen before the election. He is going to lose the leadership and perhaps the only real choice National MPs now have is how messy they allow...

Changes to the Local Government Act could be on the way after controversy at the Far North District Council.  Councillor Diane Smolders claims a committee made-up of six councillors and 10 unelected Iwi and hapu representatives is co-governance on steroids.  Local Government Minister Simon Watts says he's looking at changes to give to cabinet.  He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that...

Nicola Willis has made her way to the US. She joins a long list of finance ministers calling for the Strait of Hormuz to reopen, and met with Trump's officials for an update on the situation in Iran.  She told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the Whitehouse was, 'careful to caveat that there were still a number of unknowns because they're not the only actor in the conflict.' when asked about the...

'Alpine Divorce' is a new phenomenon that is common enough to exist.  Couples going on hikes or tramps reach exhaustion at different stages, leading to one person being left behind. An exhaustion which now seems to have extended to relationships.  Adrift NZ Owner and Tongariro Crossing Guide told Heather du Plessis-Allan that being under physical stress is likely to heighten tensions in...

A new farming advocacy group is pushing for the government only to import meat that matches New Zealand's farming standards.  'Fair for Farmers' says that overseas pig meat undermines animal welfare standards, and kiwi farmer's ability to compete.  Animal Policy International Co-Executive Director Rainer Kravets told Heather du Plessis-Allan that, 'around 60% of pork in our market comes...

Uptake is stalling for GP's wanting to diagnose ADHD.  Two months after the Government allowed GP's to assess and prescribe medication, only 180 GP's have used the new power so far.  Other doctors blame workforce shortages and inadequate funding for the stall in uptakes.  Royal NZ College of GP's President Luke Bradford told Heather du Plessis-Allan that, 'Patients can't afford to s...

Kiwi company Allbirds has announced a new direction and it's drawn questions from experts. After years of losses, the former sustainable shoe company is transitioning to AI after selling all its assets this month. It's revised its moniker to NewBirds AI - seeing share values surging up to 700 percent. NZ Herald senior business writer Chris Keall says the tech and business-based press has raised co...

There's concerns the ongoing conflict in the Middle East could lead to food shortages in the UK. Reports claim that people are concerned that the closure of the Strait of Hormuz will lead to a shortage of carbon dioxide - which is essential in food production.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says Prime Minister Kier Starmer has warned people to start preparing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/li...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 16 April, 2026, our $86 billion Super Fund is found guilty of failing to properly address human rights. We talk to the lawyer for the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa. We have a tough conversation with US philosopher Peter Boghossian, who's here on a free speech tour. Former cricketer Ben Harris tells us how he came up with...

The US earnings season is in full swing, with many leading companies posting their results. The Middle East conflict is looming over this year's data and experts have raised concerns. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former All Blacks captain and loose forward Taine Randell is now a New Zealand First candidate in the coming election. He will get a winnable list position in case he doesn’t win the Tukituki electorate. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained what he could bring to politics. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and artist and local Government politician Oscar Kightley joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! As the fuel crisis continues, more people are opting to take the bus instead of drive or fly. Do we see this becoming a permanent shift, or will things go back to normal when the oil crisis ends? What...

Having tough conversations is a difficult art, but one expert's devised a solution. American philosopher Peter Boghossian has been quietly touring New Zealand schools and universities teaching young people how to have healthy debate. He says it's important to consider all perspectives and figure out what people believe before we leap to conflict. "The most important thing is that you have to liste...

We can be a bunch of moaners in this country, can’t we? Now, from my point of view, that announcement yesterday - which we talked about on the show - that pharmacists may soon be able to hand out a range of publicly funded medicines without patients having to go to a GP first, is a no-brainer. It’s wonderful because we’re talking about low-level medications: Pamol, maybe some eye drops, for fairly...

A former cricketer has launched a new fast-paced lawn bowls format designed to give the sport a new lease on life. 'Five in 25' is a shortened version of the game that hopes to attract new players to give the sport a go. Ben Harris is the man behind the game and he says there's an event set to take place tomorrow designed to appeal to prospective players. "It's an experimental tournament tomo...