Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

These polls that keep showing Labour ahead of National are a sign of how crap the economy is. Up until a few weeks ago, I was ignoring polls because Labour didn't have any policy. Labour was ahead, but it didn't have any policy. I thought, well this is a protest vote. They're pissed at National for not fixing the mess Labour left behind. But the voters are not stupid. And they're voting for t...

New polling data has revealed less Kiwis have faith the current Government can turn the economy around ahead of the upcoming election. A New Zealand Herald-Kantar poll has found voters are evenly split on Labour's proposed capital gains tax and about 45 percent of respondents in an IPSOS survey scored the Luxon-led Government below 3 out of 10. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says it's clear a sign...

A growing number of school boards are making public statements confirming their commitment to the Treaty after the Government announced it would cut the requirements. Previously, the Education Act said schools must ensure their plans, policies, and local curriculum reflect tikanga Māori, but the Government's looking to change it. Queens High school board chair Kate Keddell says schools have been w...

There's a growing push for a future relationship between Uber and the unions, including collective bargaining.  Four drivers have officially won their battle to be recognised as employees in a Supreme Court ruling announced today.  Uber argued they were contractors.  Workers First Union deputy secretary, Anita Rosentreter, says the Employment Relations Authority can now calculate ho...

The Transport Minister says the Government's focused on getting details right - in a speedy change to the 2023 Clean Vehicle Standard - this week. It originally gave importers credits for meeting carbon targets, and charged them for missing.  The Government will now slash them nearly 80 percent, to prevent charges landing consumers. Chris Bishop says they're focused on rolling out change very...

Prices are soaring for food staples, with prices up 4.7 percent on a year ago. Stats NZ data for October shows cheese, instant coffee, eggs and milk had some of the largest surges.  Gas rose 14.4 percent and electricity almost 12 percent Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen says fruit and vegetables are cheaper - but not meat. "A couple of months ago, right, we were talking a lot about butt...

The Government's pointing to market changes and consumer costs as motivation for changing 2023's Clean Vehicle Standard.  It gave importers credits for meeting carbon targets, and charged them if they missed.   But Transport Minister Chris Bishop says charges are falling on the consumer, which will now be slashed nearly 80 percent. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper s...

Over in Australia, Victorian police say they've seized a record number of knives and machetes this year, amid growing concerns about knife crime. Police say at least 15,000 knives, machetes and zombie knives had been taken off the streets and destroyed so far in 2025. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says there's been a targeted push to get rid of bladed weapons, especially following the r...

The All Blacks are doing their best to overcome major disappointment and spark up for their final test of the year. The team arrived in Cardiff from London via bus for the 13th and final match - with a number of changes expected in the side to face the Welsh. Cam Roigard and Beauden Barrett are unlikely to play, although would have expected bench roles at most. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explained...

MBIE says it's working hard to deal with issues regarding sand products potentially contaminated with asbestos.  EC Rainbow Sand 1.3 kilos, Creatistics Coloured Sand, 1 kilo, and four Kmart NZ Magic Sand products have been recalled. MBIE Product Safety Spokesperson Ian Caplin says they are acting with an abundance of caution - and people shouldn't panic.  "The potential impact of asbesto...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 14 November 2025, we have officially missed our climate goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. So why are we sending a massive delegation to the talkfest that is Cop30? Labour's Deborah Russell tells Heather why the trip to Brazil is important. One of the outcomes of the damning McSkimming IPCA report has been the establ...

OK, quick quiz for you. Think of the Labour Party. Who is the climate spokesperson? Yeah, no, you didn't get it right because it's Deborah Russell. I know. I didn't think it was that either. I didn't know it. And you know what, it's my job to know this kind of stuff. But to be fair to me, in the entirety of this year thus far, Deborah has only put out 3 press releases on the climate and the third...

A shareholder vote to approve a takeover bid for Comvita has not gathered enough votes to proceed.   The bid from Florence to buy Comvita at 80 cents a share required 75% support from shareholders to go through.   Although the official vote count has not been released, we know that the numbers fall short of the margin.   Octagon Chief Investment Officer Paul Robertshawe told Heather...

An Australian Mayor is warning of the unforeseen consequences of a rates cap.  Minister of Local Government Simon Watts says he will advance rate cap policy discussions before the end of the year. Sue Heins, mayor of the Northern Beaches Council in New South Wales, told a Local Government New Zealand conference it leads to councils making impossible choices. She told Heather du Plessis-Allan...

Whitcoulls is being accused of censorship and moral panic - because it's hiding a literary journal with risqué content.  Copies of Folly Journal have been pulled off Whitcoulls shelves around the country and are now only offered when customers ask for it. Editor and Founder of Folly Journal Emily Broadmore told Heather duPlessis-Allan that Whitcoulls hasn't explained specifically why their bo...

An Auckland retirement village is looking to ban electric vehicles because of safety. Forty-seven residents at Fairview Lifestyle Village in Albany have got into a row with management over the decision. One resident told our newsroom the village claims EV's are a fire risk. Drive Electric chair Kirstin Corson told Heather Du Plessis-Allan that it's completely unreasonable. She says EV's are 25 per...

The Retirement Commission's calling on leaders to strengthen our retirement income system while we can. It's retirement income policy review's found a longer-term political focus is needed to ensure future generations' certainty.  It makes 12 recommendations, from moving more quickly to implement Kiwisaver reforms to harder strategies such as a new cross-party accord.  Commissioner Jane...

Labour's climate spokesperson says she's attending the UN's annual climate summit to become better informed.  Deborah Russell will join Climate Change Minister Simon Watts and a New Zealand delegation at COP30 in Brazil.  Climate scientists have warned the world's likely to blow past 1.5 degrees of warming.  Russell says we'll be faced with absolute disaster if we can't pull this ba...

Te Pati Māori has had an eventful week, with two prominent MPs being ousted from the party.   Party leader John Tamihere said that this was done to prevent an internal coup – however that may not be the case.   Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Heather duPlessis-Allan that a, “attempted takeover of the party's leadership was a made-up story.”  LISTEN ABOVE  See om...

A law group wants to see a culture shift at Police - while also welcoming an Inspector-General. The new position was announced, in response to a scathing IPCA report. It identified a number of issues around how Police's senior leadership team failed to deal with complaints about then-Deputy Commissioner Jevon McSkimming in a timely and respectful manner. Defence Lawyers' Association co-Chair Eliza...

Over in the UK, there's reports of dissatisfaction in the political ranks. There are fears from those loyal to Sir Keir Starmer that his job might be under immediate threat, with rumours circulating the Labour leader might be rolled.  UK correspondent Enda Brady says Labour's popularity has taken a hit in new polls and concerns are mounting ahead of the upcoming Budget. LISTEN ABOVE See omnys...

The price of gold continues to hit new highs, and speculators are wondering whether they should invest. Gold has seen the strongest year since the 1970s, largely thanks to volatile markets and economic uncertainty.  Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Flocks of farm animals and food vendors are set to welcome thousands of people to Canterbury’s annual Agricultural & Pastoral Show, which is back with a more prestigious title. The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is being held from Thursday to Saturday. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

So it turns out the woman with whom Jevon McSkimming had an affair, whose warnings police ignored and who police charged instead of investigating McSkimming, is still facing charges. This is the news today. And the police are having to defend this. Now, the charges don't relate to messages that she sent about McSkimming. Those charges have been dropped. They relate to messages that she allegedly s...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 13 November 2025, Police Commissioner Richard Chambers defends the decision to continue prosecuting the woman at the centre of the McSkimming saga. Teacher unions and their ongoing strikes have been blamed for dropping attendance rates - but Cathy Chalmers from the Manurewa Attendance Service says parents very much have their pa...