Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

I’d like to know how you feel about the firefighters and their strike because I’ve gone from soft support a few weeks ago to very hard support today. What’s tipped me over the edge is this kerfuffle around board pay. Frankly, it’s one of the most tone-deaf things I’ve seen in a very long time. The board are set to receive pay rises of up to 79 percent. Meanwhile, firefighters have been fighting -...

Broadcasting Minister Paul Goldsmith has revealed he's mulling over changes to the Broadcasting Standards Authority.  Set up in 1989, the Authority has regulatory powers over traditional broadcasters - but today ruled it can consider complaints against online broadcasters too.  NZ First's Winston Peters has labelled the move 'fascist behaviour' and Goldsmith says he's working on a respon...

No matter how many times a parent may claim they don't have a favourite child, research has indicated preferential treatment does take place. A meta‑analysis published in Psychological Bulletin - drawing on data from more than 19,000 people across 30 studies in the US, Canada and Western Europe between 2015 and 2022 found that daughters were preferred.  Therapist Jo Robertson says this resear...

Australia's Prime Minister will address the nation tonight outlining how Australians can help with the fuel crisis.  It's understood Anthony Albanese will urge people to save fuel for industries that most need it.  It's the first time an Australian Prime Minister has delivered a national address since Scott Morrison did during Covid-19 in March 2020.  Australian correspondent Charle...

Labour MP Kieran McAnulty says his member's bill to loosen liquor regulations on key public holidays will clear up confusion. It would allow hospitality venues to sell alcohol on Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Anzac Day morning and Christmas Day - without needing to serve a meal. The bill could be in place by this Easter weekend, with its final reading underway in Parliament. McAnulty says venues cur...

Today, the fuel supply update shows the amount of jet fuel in the country sat at 22.1 days of supply as of Sunday, down from 25.3 recorded last Wednesday.  Diesel's about the same at 21.6 days - meanwhile petrol was up on Sunday, at 29.3 days of supply.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says we'll find out about the Government's new plans for the crisis tommorow. LI...

A US judge has halted construction of Donald Trump's nearly $700 million White House ballroom. The President had the East Wing bowled last year to make way for the project. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has been granted a request for a preliminary injunction, alleging Trump exceeded his authority by not getting Congress approval before launching into construction. US correspondent D...

All Black Ardie Savea appears to have reconciled with New Zealand Rugby after a potential estrangement last year. The Herald reports he came close to international retirement after the defeat to England at Twickenham.   Savea was understood to have become disillusioned with the amount of the sport he was playing and time away from home, despite moving from the Hurricanes to Moana Pasifika and...

It's been confirmed Fire and Emergency’s board members are getting pay rises of up to 79 percent amid prolonged industrial action. A departmental briefing recommended Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden approve large increases to board pay packets in December. NZ Firefighters Union national secretary Wattie Watson has voiced outrage with this move, as strike action is set to continue. "It'...

The BBC has reported that Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Sarah Ferguson, won't be at the royal family's traditional Easter service this year. The gathering at St George's Chapel takes place every year, but the pair have reportedly made 'alternative plans' as their parents face scrutiny over their connections to Jefferey Epstein. UK correspondent Enda Brady sa...

The Middle East conflict continues on for another week, and it's led to economic forecasters revising their predictions for recovery. Significant cuts to growth, higher inflation, lower investment, household consumption, and higher unemployment appear to be on the cards, according to new reports.  HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says it's unclear how the central banks on both sides of the T...

Power bills are set to go up from tomorrow, from as high as 5 to 10 percent. Electricity lines charges are set to go up, following an earlier Commerce Commission decision to allow for the charges to go up. Consumer NZ's Paul Fuge explained that these increases will vary across households, with some seeing higher increases and some seeing lower ones.  "Because it is so convoluted and so comple...

The Federated Farmers High Country Field Day recently took place at Glenaray station in the Waikaia Valley. Over 280 visitors visited various sites across the farm to discuss the issues impacting New Zealand's rural sector. The Country's Jamie Mackay recapped the action, and speculated about the lack of Labour MPs at the event.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 31 March, 2026, New Zealand Herald senior reporter David Fisher says he's amazed it took so long to quash David Tamihere's double-murder convictions. We talk to Iran's ambassador to New Zealand about Donald Trump's threat to "obliterate" his country's energy sites. A public health physician has issues with a study linking vaping...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Auckland mayor Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! David Tamihere's murder conviction got quashed by the Supreme Court today. What do we think this says about New Zealand's justice system? Should we be concerned? The Greens have recently declined a former sex worker’s candidacy,...

So David Tamihere has finally got what he’s been fighting for for decades. The Supreme Court has quashed his convictions for murdering the two Swedish backpackers all those years ago. Now this doesn’t mean a retrial will necessarily happen. That’s up to the Crown, which must decide whether it wants to pursue the charges again. In a nutshell, this all comes down to the jailhouse snitch - Conchie Ha...

The Supreme Court today confirmed it would quash David Tamihere's double murder convictions after his trial was ruled 'unfair'. He was found guilty in 1990 of killing Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen, but the verdict was since overturned. Private investigator Tim McKinnel says there's a 'clump of cases' from the mid-1980s to 2010 that are being evaluated through the system - and i...

There's concerns an on-the-fence smoker may not switch to vaping, after an Australian study suggested it causes cancer.  The new research from New South Wales University finds nicotine-based vapes are likely to cause it in the lung and mouth.  Former World Health Organisation director, Robert Beaglehole, labels that misleading - saying it's proven to be less harmful.  He says the li...

The Supreme Court says it is up to the Crown if it wants a retrial of David Tamihere, whose murder convictions were quashed today. Tamihere was found guilty in 1990 of killing Swedish tourists Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen. The Supreme Court's now ruled his trial unfair. Herald Reporter David Fisher says the case has taken serious knocks over the years.  "It sounds like, from Tamihere's po...

The Housing Minister says Cabinet's agreement to reduce Auckland's minimum housing capacity for a second time puts the issue to bed.    The Government announced a revised density plan of 1.6 million homes just last month, and today reduced that to 1.4 million.  Wayne Brown says he suspects as it's an election year, this is simply politics at play. Chris Bishop says this is about agr...

The Supreme Court's quashed David Tamihere's double murder convictions, 37 years after two Swedish tourists disappeared.  Open Justice reports Tamihere was found guilty in 1990 of killing Urban Hoglin and Heidi Paakkonen. He was released on parole in 2010, and granted the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in 2020, after a trial witness was found guilty of lying.  Newstalk ZB senior political co...

As the conflict in the Middle East continues, the Australian Government has moved to decrease their fuel excise tax. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the halving of excise for three months - equivalent to a 26 cent reduction per litre of fuel.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this cut will benefit Australian households who are already being stretched thin - but i...

The All Whites have delivered an appetiser of their capability as they prepare for football's World Cup in North America during June and July. A tepid 2-nil loss to Finland has been followed by a robust 4-1 rout of Chile at Auckland's Eden Park. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave recapped the action. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran's ambassador to New Zealand has suggested regime change is not at all close in his country. The US President's threatening to destroy Iran's energy infrastructure if a ceasefire deal isn't reached. Donald Trump also claims regime change has been achieved - because attacks have killed many of Iran's top leaders. Thousands more US troops are descending on the region, with reports ground operati...

The shower's the perfect environment for your mind to get creative. The content creator dejiwastaken has built an entire platform on sharing the unusual thoughts you can have in the shower, and the Afternoons tema discussed their favourites. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.