Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A call not to panic about our road toll. The number of road deaths is set to be higher this year after an 11 percent reduction between 2018 and last year. Road safety advocate and former motorcycle racer Aaron Slight says the focus on increasing median barriers on motorways doesn't make sense. He says it's hard to predict where people will cross the road so it's only guessing when the barriers are...

Calls for a more targeted approach to tackle the cost of living crisis. On Monday, the Government makes the first of three $116 payments to those earning less than $70,000. It was the flagship announcement in the Budget, designed to help Kiwis hit hardest by the record-high cost of living. But financial adviser Liz Koh told Heather Du Plessis-Allan it should have been targeted to the poorest Kiwis...

Beijing grumbled but swallowed its irritation in 1997 when then-Speaker Newt Gingrich of the U.S. House of Representatives visited Taiwan, the island democracy claimed by the mainland’s ruling Communist Party as its own territory. China had other priorities. President Jiang Zemin’s government was preparing to celebrate Hong Kong’s return and wanted to lock in Beijing’s emergence from diplomatic is...

A former NZR boss has called for the current NZR boss to resign. David Moffett appeared on the Mike Hosking Breakfast this morning and suggested that Mark Robinson return from Birmingham immediately – where he’s with the All Blacks Sevens for the Commonwealth Games – and resign immediately. And New Zealand has a good chance to get its first Commonwealth Games medals tonight. Hayden Wilde is taking...

Travel agents are frustrated Air New Zealand is slashing commissions. The airline has cut longstanding three percent short-haul commissions for travel to Australia and the Pacific Islands. It’s also reduced long-haul commissions from five percent to one. Travel Agents Association President Greg Hamilton told Heather du Plessis Allan the timing isn't good after the pandemic. He says agents are work...

Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss the Prime Minister telling everyone to make sure IRD has their bank account in order to receive the first cost of living payment, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield's last day of media rounds before retirement and Winston Peters comments made about Nania Mahuta. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns have been raised that there is too much red tape in the way of weeding our roundabouts and traffic islands. It's up to councils to weed them, but the Hamilton deputy mayor says its being slowed down immensely by Waka Kotahi's overzealous safety regulations. Hamilton deputy mayor Geoff Taylor joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has slammed New Zealand Rugby, saying the divide between the top players and those making decisions has lead to the All Blacks' on-field struggles. To give an assessment of what Hansen has right, but also what he has wrong, another former All Black coach, Laurie Mains, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

A building company director says nowhere near enough plasterboard is arriving in the country. Housing Minister Megan Woods says a taskforce set up to address an industry shortage has made good progress Twelve plasterboard importers, four of them new, have 100 containers of product en route to the country. Brightbuild director Jennifer Taylor says they can't access enough of it, and are turning awa...

Former Otago Polytechnic chief executive Phil Ker has called for an apology from Education Minister Chris Hipkins for turning the country's polytechnic education system into "a national disgrace". It comes in the wake of last week's apology from Te Pūkenga's acting chief executive over its beleaguered financial situation and its delays in transitioning the country's polytechnics into a single enti...

Anger over Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's comments on "race-mixing", labelled as Nazi speech by a resigning advisor. More rail disruptions in the UK, which could have implications for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Birmingham. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does it seem like the Reserve Bank has learned anything over the last couple of days? This is in relation to Graeme Wheeler's comment that central banks drove inflation. Since then, the Reserve Bank has released a statement acknowledging their role in creating the high inflationary environment we're in right now. Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN A...

All eyese are on the US Federal Reserve tomorrow. They're announcing the interest rates, and a economists are expecting a 0.75 percent rise to 2.5 percent. If it happens, it will be second big increase in a row and the fastest pace of rate hikes in 40 years. Milford Asset Management Global Equities Analyst Deb Lambie joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

The Crown has started recapitalising the Reserve Bank. It comes after the Government provided a backstop for the bank to buy bonds at the start of the pandemic. Now the value of these bonds has fallen, and the change in value is worth $8.8 billion. Wellington Business Editor Jenée Tibshraeny joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s worse: high inflation, or high unemployment? A study from Kiwi researchers, which is the focus of a recent New York Times article, claims higher unemployment is far worse if you go by the feelings of real people. Auckland University Economics Professor Robert MacCulloch, who took part in the research, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Nanaia Mahuta has slipped in a new piece of legislation for Māori wards. Now councils will have to make the issue the top of their six-yearly Representation Review, where it's now mandatory to consider the introduction of Māori wards. Meanwhile, ACT leader David Seymour has expressed his concerns for it. Anger over new helipads being introduced at Great Barrier and Waiheke Islands. Locals are frus...

Nanaia Mahuta has condemned the execution of four political prisoners in Myanmar in a ministerial statement. She'll raise the issue when attending the ASEAN Foreign Minister's meeting in Cambodia. However, she was unable to back up her statement when National's spokeperson Gerry Brownlee questioned her statement. Furthermore, she's also come up with a clever way to introduce Maori wards into counc...

Scott Robertson has said he’s open to overseas offers. The Crusaders coach is the people’s favourite to replace under-fire All Blacks coach Ian Foster, with Robertson saying his snubbing after the 2019 World Cup taught him to keep his options open. The fallout from Manly’s pride jersey jumper continues. Now former NRL player Frank Puletua has said the Pasifika league community isn’t homophobic and...

Former US President Donald Trump's been back in Washington for the first time since he left the White House. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du-Plessis Allan he's been teasing a vision for a run at the presidency in 2024. He suspects Trump to announce he's running over summer, in the absence of any alternatives. “Who on the Republican side is going to step up? He is still the de facto...

Belief that interest should be reinstated on student loans to allow learners to borrow more while studying. One economist says because the Government is subsidising the interest costs of student borrowing, it's up against lending constraints. NZ Initiative's Eric Crampton told Heather du Plessis-Allan the zero-percent interest scheme was intended enable greater access to study, but no longer achie...

The ACT Party is concerned about a new local Government which would require councils consider adding Māori wards or constituencies. Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta has introduced a policy which would make it the first priority during their regular representation reviews each six months. David Seymour told Heather du Plessis-Allan the bill doesn't sit right with him. He says councils will f...

Think you’ve got enough subscriptions services already? How about a steady supply of house plants delivered to your door? Kiwi business Plant Baby, the brain child of Sophie Cooper and Siobhan Vermaak sends out a new mystery house plant to clients each month. It’s tapping into the growing trend of house plant enthusiasts which has skyrocketed since the pandemic. Plant Baby co-owner Siobhan Vermaak...

There is concern over what support measures are in place for students covering hospital shifts as the nursing shortage compounds. Dunedin Hospital was so desperate on the weekend, it called in 21 students to help out. A mixture of years 1-3 students, as well as Enrolled Nurse graduates responded, and were paid in Countdown vouchers. NZNO's national representative chairperson Jade Power told Heathe...

This is a clever move by Nanaia Mahuta to try to essentially force Māori wards on councils, or at least make it very hard for councils to resist introducing Maori wards. Mahuta has slipped a change into a piece of legislation that will make it mandatory for councils every six years to consider whether they should introduce Maori wards. When they meet for their six-yearly Representation Review, the...

Figures show relief teachers are leaving the job in droves. The number of available substitutes has dropped by a third. NZEI president Liam Rutherford told Heather du Plessis-Allan Covid's meant people are searching for more secure employment. “A large part of our reliever workforce is made up of people returning from paternity leave. There’s also an increasing number of people who haven’t found t...