Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

If you cast your mind back a few months you might remember the case of the Murupara doctor who was suspended after asking public questions about the Pfizer jab. It’s been revealed Bernard Conlon has now been given permission to go back to his practice. And it made me really reflect on whether it was the right decision to suspend him in the first place. It turns out that during the six months he wa...

Gloriavale has sought an interim injunction to force Westland Dairy to continue collecting its milk. Westland suspended collection after Gloriavale was found to have been in breach of labour laws, including child labour. The injunction would force Westland to keep up collection until a trial. Copeland Ashcroft managing partner Janet Copeland joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnyst...

A Murupara doctor suspended for his anti-vax views has been allowed to return to work. In the six months he was suspended, the community had no doctor, which leads to questions of a possible overreaction in the Covid-19 response. It comes as New Zealand prepares to remove pre-departure testing for arrivals. The decision could be moved up earlier as New Zealand becomes one of the last remaining cou...

Outrage at moves to get rid of the Children’s Commissioner. There’s a bill in front of Parliament that would dismantle the role and replace it with a board of between three and six people. The bill would also see the Commissioner stripped off their power to investigate, no longer handling complaints from children and families. Victoria University emeritus professor of public policy Jonathan Boston...

Absolute heartbreak for the All Whites this morning. They lost their World Cup Intercontinental Qualifying playoff against Costa Rica 1-0 and won’t qualify for the 2022 World Cup later this year. Coach Danny Hay criticised the refereeing in a press conference and said the team was robbed. Former All White Fred de Jong joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Paddy Gower says he’s an alcoholic. His documentary on booze forced him to confront his own addiction to alcohol. He reckons we might like to try the same approach as Iceland – lifting the drinking age to 20, only allowing supermarkets to stock low alcoholic beer and introducing a curfew for teenagers. Otago University Emeritus Professor Jennie Connor joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE...

A critical GIB shortage may force developers to change build designs. Government officials held emergency talks with building industry leaders yesterday in a bid to hammer out solutions to the product shortfall. Winston Wallboards' product supply problem is so bad when one developer inquired on GIB in January, they were told to ask again in June. Now, Simplicity Living will have to wait until Chri...

Jacinda Ardern has once again been forced to change where she does media engagements. This time, Ardern was visiting Te Aratai College in Christchurch when the Freedom and Rights Coalition arrived at the school to protest vaccine mandates. Chris Hipkins is settling into his new role as Police Minister. Hipkins met with Andrew Coster this morning to discuss how to tackle gangs as National has annou...

The House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol has postponed its hearing scheduled for Wednesday. The next hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. The committee also announced Tuesday, that it would have two hearings next week -- one on June 21 and another on June 23 -- both starting at 1 p.m. ET. Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California, a...

A controversial end to the All Whites’ World Cup qualifying campaign. The All Whites saw a Chris Wood equaliser ruled out by the VAR towards the end of the first half and Kosta Barbarouses was sent off in the second half for a foul that was upgraded from a yellow to a red. Costa Rica had scored in the third minute through Joel Campbell. Meanwhile, Gary Lawson won’t be going to the Birmingham. The...

The Salvation Army's calling for major changes to car insurance products it says exploit vulnerable Kiwis. It's released a paper detailing the massive mark-ups dealers add to wholesale prices and the pressure on car of second-hand cars. It says add-on insurance products are often low value-for-money options for many New Zealanders, especially for poorer communities. Principal Policy Analyst Ronji...

Yesterday we talked to a Kiwi traveller who had his pre-departure test denied as it was taken a minute just before the 48 hour cutoff. Since then, the Opposition has released a statement saying it’s time to drop the testing now instead of waiting until July 31. The call is buoyed by the US dropping pre-departure tests altogether. BusinessDesk managing editor Pattrick Smellie joined Heather du Ples...

The price in food is rising. Annual food price inflation is currently sitting at 6.8 percent higher in May 2022 compared to May 2021. But it’s also getting more expensive to produce and grow food as the on farm inflation skyrockets to 10.2 percent. The Country host Jamie Mackay joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a rise in the student entrepreneur. Side-hustles are growing among young people looking for more money amidst rising living costs. Dunedin student startup Palmer began selling its clothing made from recycled materials in 2017. Co-founder Joe Palmer says he’s seen a massive increase in students with a side-gig. Joe Palmer joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/lis...

A British government’s plan to deport asylum-seekers of various nationalities to Rwanda is set to go ahead after an appeals court on Monday refused to block the policy that the U.N.’s top refugee official said sets a dangerous precedent for migrants fleeing war and oppression. Immediately after the decision by a three-justice panel of the Court of Appeal in London, Prime Minister Boris Johnson's o...

If you hate cycleways, you’re probably going to hate them a whole lot more when I finish telling you about the latest instalment in this. Turns out cycleways are getting really expensive. The country’s cycleway building programme is blowing out big time. Waka Kotahi has set aside $618 million to spend on cycleways over the next three years, but the budget has blown out already to $670 million, whi...

A review has found that the Ministry of Health failed to accurately estimate our lab capacity. At the start of the year, Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall claimed that we had the ability to surge to 70,000 PCR tests per day. The claim turned out to be wildly inaccuarate. New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Science president Terry Taylor joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE...

Kiri Allan has hit out at the Department of Conservation’s “tokenistic” use of Te Reo Māori. It comes after a screenshot of an internal email was shared on social media from a DoC manager who said they were passing on "feedback this week from the minister's office about inclusion of te reo Māori in the material that we send over", which Allan called an "incorrect articulation". Boys are falling be...

The Samoan Prime Minister has confirmed Samoa and China do not have any plans for military ties. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa has been meeting with her counterpart Jacinda Ardern today. She’s also met with Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Climate Change Minister James Shaw. Otago University international relations Professor Robert Patman joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystud...

It’s a winner takes all clash between the All Whites and Costa Rica in Doha. The two teams are playing in a World Cup qualifier playoff for the final spot in the tournament at 6am tomorrow morning. Question is: have the All Whites got what it takes? TVNZ sports reporter Chris Chang joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A record high for job exits with the national staff turnover hitting 58 percent. MYHR's research also shows a mass exodus in hospitality with a 94 percent turnover - a 17 percent rise from 2019. Chief Executive Jason Ennor told Heather du Plessis-Allan the sector's been hit the hardest because of the lack of people on working holiday visas. “Who through Covid or post-Covid did not have their visas...

A man shot at in Waikato's Taupiri this morning was dropping his kids off at school. Officers were called about 9.30 after the gunman shot at a car on Greenlane Road, moderately injuring one person. Waikato's District Mayor says police have someone in hand they're now speaking to. Allan Sanson told Heather du Plessis-Allan the shooting happened just 100-metres away from Taupiri School. Sanson says...

A damning review into the Ministry of Health’s PCR testing capacity. It’s been revealed that when the Ministry promised impressive testing capacities at the start of the Omicron outbreak is nowhere near what it promised to deliver. The Samoan Prime Minister has met with Jacinda Ardern, James Shaw and Nanaia Mahuta. Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa's visit comes amid rising tensions of China’s increasing prese...

The leader of Australia's Liberal Party has already got himself in hot water. Peter Dutton, who took over from Scott Morrison made a statement saying that he left the incoming Labor Party a blueprint to buy two nuclear submarines. He also claimed the subs could be in the water by 2030. But Australian correspondent Murray Olds told Heather du Plessis Allan gaps in US infrastructure mean it's really...

The All Whites are gearing up for their biggest game in nearly five years. The team play Costa Rica in Doha on Wednesday morning for the final spot in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, after Australia beat Peru on penalties to qualify. The Black Caps go into Day 5 of the second test against England at Trent Bridge with all results possible. The Black Caps are currently on 224/7 with a lead of 238. Sportsta...