Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Some more details from the Deputy Prime Minister on the Government's plan to deal with ram raids.  National has backed the Government's emissions budget. How political was this?   Why is the PM isolating? Is she not an essential worker?  Chief political editor Jason Walls joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest election debate between Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese is a bit of a mess.  The judge overseeing the trial of Guy Sebastian's former manager has a medical episode and dies suddenly.  Sydney lollipop lady posts a TikTok about how much she gets paid – and now everyone wants to be one.  6PR Perth Live Presenter Oliver Peterson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystu...

Are the Blues the new Crusaders?  It must be hard to be a Warriors fan at the moment. Sports commentator Phil Gifford joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's every parent's worst nightmare – sudden infant death syndrome.   Now a breakthrough study out of Sydney suggests there is a genetic marker that makes some kids more at risk to SIDS than others.   Lead researcher Dr Carmel Harrington from the Children's Hospital Westmead joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government looks set to announce a range of climate initiatives and plans this month ahead of the Budget. That might mean companies may have to check their own climate goals as well. The first step of this will be on Monday when James Shaw will lay out how the Emission Reduction Plan has been created. Business commentator Rod Oram joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.co...

A statue of King George V in Matakana has been beheaded for the fourth time in 20 years. The statue’s conservator Adrienne Miller has said on social media that she wants to move it somewhere else and is clearly not safe there. Adrienne Miller joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China's top leader Xi Jinping has issued the strongest warning yet against anyone who questions the country's zero-Covid policy, as stringent, frequent lockdowns fuel public discontent and deal a devastating blow to the Chinese economy. At a meeting chaired by Xi on Thursday, the ruling Communist Party's supreme Politburo Standing Committee vowed to "unswervingly adhere to the general policy of 'd...

People in Britain voted Thursday in local elections that will decide the makeup of local authorities across the country — and possibly the fate of embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Polling stations were open from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. (2100GMT) in contests for thousands of seats on 200 local authorities in in England, Scotland and Wales. Most results are due Friday. Opinion polls suggest the...

We’re a couple of weeks away from this year’s Budget and people are starting to come out with wish lists for Finance Minister Grant Robertson. An MYOB survey found business and consumers alike think the Government needs to focus on relieving the effects of rising costs. Consumers are after a permanent reduction in petrol taxes and more action on housing affordability and SMEs are predominantly aft...

New Zealand Super Rugby teams will be licking their wounds ahead of this weekend’s round. Last weekend saw the Crusaders and the Hurricanes lose to the Waratahs and Brumbies respectively, and the Force were able to gain a bonus point in a narrow loss to the Blues. Real Madrid pulled off a legendary comeback against Manchester City mid-week in the UEFA Champions League semi-final. They looked certa...

Queenstown businesses have reached a new level of worker shortage. There are now more job vacancies than ratepayers in Queenstown and hospitality venues are paying unqualified staff up to $27 an hour. And even with more money on offer, they're struggling to get locals to fill the slots in time for international visitors. Queenstown Chamber of Commerce CEO Ruth Stokes joined Heather du Plessis-Alla...

Everyone knows about Wordle, and some people may have heard about Heardle - a game for guessing songs. Heardle got a Kiwi makeover for New Zealand Music Month. Musician James Mac, who developed this version of the game, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

KiwiSaver provider Milford Asset Management will try to engage with DGL Group instead of excluding the company. Company CEO Simon Henry made offensive comments about My Food Bag's Nadia Lim. Other Kiwi Saver providers Kiwi Wealth and Simplicity have added the company to their exclusion list. Milford Asset Management's Frances Sweetman told Heather du Plessis-Allan their sustainability policy is to...

Competition may be the driving force behind Countdown's decision to drive down costs. From Monday, the supermarket chain will freeze prices on 500 essential over the winter months in response to the cost of living. It includes a wide variety of staples - from tinned tomatoes, to butter, sugar, flour and more. Nite n' Day general manager Matthew Lane told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's likely a resu...

Jacinda Ardern has weighed in on Simon Henry’s comments on Nadia Lim. Ardern said this afternoon that the comments do a complete disservice to Nadia and it would’ve been insulting to all women. Meanwhile, the Government is spending $10 million on removing coal boilers from schools. The move is going to reduce carbon emissions buy around 35,000 tonnes over the next ten years as part of a wider $23...

President Joe Biden on Thursday named Karine Jean-Pierre to be the next White House press secretary, the first Black woman and openly LGBTQ person to serve in the role. Incumbent Jen Psaki is set to leave the post next week. Jean-Pierre takes on the role as the White House faces an uphill battle to help Democrats hold onto the House and Senate in this fall's midterm elections, and as the administr...

Tauranga bus drivers will no longer stop at three of the city's main bus stops if they see youths gathered. The boycott comes as drivers fear for their safety amid incidents of violence and aggression from young people at bus stops, most notably the Willow Street interchange. Police say they were called to deal with a youth who was found with an offensive weapon on Willow Street on Wednesday. Firs...

We’ll have to give Countdown a little bit of credit here. A price freeze is definitely better than no price freeze during a cost of living crisis. But I think buy now we’ve realised that this price freeze is not quite as great as it looks, right? First, it doesn’t actually reduce the burden on shoppers very much. A price cut would mean that your grocery bill would come down, but a price freeze is...

Duck hunting is set to start at 6:45 am on Saturday. Fish and Game New Zealand says that good bird populations and the ease of Covid restrictions means this season looks to be the best in years. However, unfortunately, the weather may look to be in favour of the ducks this weekend. The Country host Jamie Mackay joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

There is a bit of a supply shortage problem going on at PlaceMakers. On Thursday, PlaceMackers delivered price rise and shortage information, revealing Pink Batts has had production issues. Another product of concern is Gib, with customers being told to order it now for July. NZ Herald Business Editor at Large Liam Dann joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Ever since the "Partygate" scandal rocked Boris Johnson's premiership at the end of last year, the British Prime Minister has repeatedly dodged questions about his future by asserting that what the public wants is for politicians to get on with running the country, not obsess over events that took place nearly two years ago. Later this week, Johnson will have some indication of whether or not that...

Auckland Transport are appointing a designated staff member to oversee solutions to the recent ram raids experienced by local businesses. In some cases bollards will be installed outside shops that feel they're being targeted. But retailers feel it's still too hard to get permission for the bollards. Newmarket Business Association chief executive Mark Knoff-Thomas joined Heather du Plessis-Allan....

Nearly a quarter of Kiwi adults are planning on flying the nest in the next year. Horizon Research shows that more than 900,000 Kiwi adults are planning overseas holidays now the borders are open. The exodus is apparently going to start in May and peak in September. But how will New Zealand tourism operators feeling about this? Tourism Export Council chief executive Lynda Keene joined Heather du P...

You know by now I’m not one to join aboard the cancel culture train when someone says something deemed out of line, but I think that businessman Simon Henry would be wise to apologise for what he said about Nadia Lim. I’m saying this not because I’ve taken offence at it, but because he’s wrong and because he risks wearing personal and business damage unless here he kills this off as a media story...

Nadia Lim has hit back at comments from DGL CEO Simon Henry. Henry claimed in an NBR interview that things including Lim's appearance could explain why his business has outperformed hers on the NZX and ASX. Auckland Council has voted on new cyclepaths. The vote was on prioritising giving Auckland Transport money to build new cyclepaths, which was passed by 13 votes to 3, with 7 absentions. Simon B...