Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Trevor Mallard's replacement is now confirmed. Adrian Rurawhe is now in the Speaker's chair after what can only be described as tumultuous period under Mallard. Adrian Rurawhe joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss his plans for the role and how he will differ from his predecessor. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I like the idea of letting another 4 million people into New Zealand in the next ten years, that doesn’t scare me.  I know that’s going to scare a lot of people, so let’s talk about it. This is the suggestion from an economist called Dr Kirdan Lees who works for Sense Partners. Kirdan reckons that if New Zealand removed restrictions on immigration and aimed to rebuild the country like Australia an...

He Waka Eke Noa chairman Michael Ahie says the primary sector climate action partnership is "on track", despite "some unfounded speculation and conjecture" about the process. At the weekend, Groundswell New Zealand issued a press release saying it understood Climate Change Minister James Shaw had "finally conceded" the scheme was terminally flawed and would scrap it. The group's emissions spokesma...

Heartland Group Holdings plans to raise $200 million in new capital off the back of a record financial result. The listed financial firm which owns Heartland Bank and a reverse mortgage business spanning both New Zealand and Australia posted a net profit of $95.1m for the year to June 30, 2021. That was up $8.1m on the prior financial year. On an underlying basis its net profit was $96.1m - up $8....

MP Gaurav Sharma says he hasn't got fair treatment from Labour since the saga started two weeks ago. Today the Labour caucus voted to expel him. Labour MP Megan Woods joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kaine Thompson and Tim Wilson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on The Huddle. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand pre-schoolers experience worse health and welfare outcomes than older kids do, according to a report released Monday. The report, published by Save the Children, Whānau Āwhina Plunket, the Child Poverty Action Group and the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, also highlighted the direct connection between Aotearoa's poverty and preventable childhood illnesses. "Sadly, the...

As workers return to offices after two years of lockdowns and restrictions, the trend of "quiet quitting" is sweeping through workplaces around the world. But what is it and why are workers doing it? Having gained significant traction on short-form video-sharing app TikTok, the idea of "quiet quitting" sees workers dialling back their efforts - typically extra or unpaid work - in a bid to get a be...

The country's largest home and community care provider is calling for an end to Covid vaccine mandates for health workers. NZ Health Group estimates about 800 unvaccinated staff want to return to work. CEO Josephine Gagan told Heather du Plessis-Allan the vaccine mandate has unfairly affected thousands of vulnerable Kiwis. “A support worker will visit four or five individual people a day, so multi...

Dr Gaurav Sharma is still hoping for an independent investigation. The MP for Hamilton East was expelled from Labour's caucus at a meeting on Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said as far as Labour's caucus is concerned, the Sharma saga is over. Sharma will now sit in Parliament as an independent MP. He is still a member of the wider Labour Party, although it is now very likely he wil...

The National Party tried to get an additional Question Time and an additional debate scheduled for this week using a cryptic motion at the end of Question Time on Tuesday. The motion could be big news for newly independent MP Gaurav Sharma who could be given time to speak in the House under privilege, allowing him to speak about his former Labour colleagues without fear of defamation. Sharma was e...

New Plymouth's mayor believes his region isn't getting a fair deal on infrastructure spending. More than half a billion dollars in fuel tax raised in the region has been spent in other parts of the country.   Neil Holdom told Heather du Plessis-Allan Taranaki's roads really need investment. “They’re falling to pieces, every day we are hearing from people who are having flat tires and damage to the...

We all underestimated Gaurav Sharma, didn’t we? This guy has nerve. He actually turned up to the caucus meeting where they expelled him today.  Can you imagine walking into a room full of people who are about to kick you out of the parliamentary party? Imagine how hard that must be.  But in he went and - according to him - eyeballed the lot of them and tried to explain his case to them and why the...

Groundswell is sticking to its claim that the Government's ready to pull the pin on He Eke Waka Noa. However, Climate Change Minister James Shaw has assured them there are no plans to do just that. Groundswell climate change spokesperson Steve Cranston joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government have bought Kiwibank from $2.1 billion. It will acquire 100 percent of Kiwi Group Holdings - the parent company of Kiwibank and NZ Home Loans - provided the proposed transaction gets Reserve Bank approval. KGH is 53 per cent owned by NZ Post, 25 percent by the Super Fund, and 22 per cent by the ACC. NZME Business Commentator Fran O'Sullivan joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN AB...

The Government has launched a new campaign to address truancy issues in schools. Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti says attendance has been declining since 2015, but Covid messaging has exacerbated the problem. It follows another announcement from the Government to address worker shortages, where some sectors will be allowed to pay 12,000 migrant workers less than the median wage. A decisio...

Portugal declares a state of emergency over wildfires. More industrial action could hit the UK, this time in the criminal courts. A banana duct taped to a wall is now the subject of a US lawsuit. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced the purchase of Kiwibank. It was owned by ACC, the Super Fund and NZ Post, before being purchased for $2.1 billion. Meanwhile, the bigger talking point for the Government was Gaurav Sharma. Jacinda Ardern says the Government won’t be investigating the issue as she says no basis to his claims. And the Government will also allow some sectors to pay 12,000 migrant workers...

The Prime Minister clearly would’ve preferred not to talk Gaurav Sharma today. The caucus will meet tomorrow to discuss Sharma’s future in the party in wake of more explosive accusations. However, Jacinda Ardern says there won’t be an investigation as there is no basis to his claims. The Government have also announced that they have bought Kiwibank. They bought it off ACC, the Super Fund and NZ Po...

We've been asking on this show why there are now more potholes than ever. That led us to Geoff Upson - who is famous for spray painting penises around potholes he comes across on roads. And now he's running for Rodney Local Board. Geoff Upson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Government campaign launched today aims to turn the tide on low attendance rates. Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti says attendance has been declining since 2015, but Covid messaging has exacerbated the problem. But Blue Light Attendance Services' National Operations Manager Brendon Crompton told Heather du Plessis-Allan there's more than just the pandemic at play. “We get a lot of kids w...

The Chief Ombudsman says it’s unacceptable that some inmates in one of our jails are on camera even while undressing, showering and going to the toilet. Peter Boshier has released a report base on a surprise inspection of Otago Corrections Facility that was carried out in October 2020. He says allowing prisoners to be monitored while undressed could be considered a breach of New Zealand’s obligati...

First Union isn’t happy that the Government didn’t talk to them before announcing it would allow skilled workers in on pay rates lower than the median wage. The Government yesterday announced they are allowing an extra 12,000 migrant workers to help businesses that were hardest hit by job shortages. First Union represents workers in three industries included in the agreement — construction, meat a...

Australia's largest airline is offering its frequent flyers a AU$50 travel credit, in a desperate attempt to revive its brand following an increase in complaints. Qantas will give the majority of its 14 million members the credit as a way of saying "thank you" for their patience and commitment to the airline during its post-Covid recovery. In the last six months, the flying kangaroo has copped cri...

Four batsmen posted half centuries as New Zealand overhauled the West Indies' total of 301-8 to win the deciding one-day international by five wickets. The win was an historic one for the Black Caps, whose victory in Barbados on Monday lifted them to a 2-1 series win and makes this their first ODI series win in the Caribbean. Tom Latham scored 69 and put on 120 for the fourth wicket with Daryl Mit...