Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

One key member of the UK's Labour party is warning that the nation only has three years to prepare for war. Al Carns gave an interview to the Times today and said that a major conflict was coming, and indicated Russia would be a likely source. UK correspondent Enda Brady explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 26 February, 2026, we talk to Air New Zealand's boss about its net loss of $40 million and ask if David Seymour's right when he says: "Go woke, go broke." How much the Government's making from clamping cars when people fail to pay fines. We look at why men are far more likely to own the home they live in than women. And on The Huddle, Clare de Lore and Ali Jones discuss why many people are happy to see Jacinda Ardern living in Australia. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour politicians dusted off their gumboots and went down to the farm for their annual meeting with Federated Farmers today. Federated Farmers started the get-together three years ago to better the relationship with the party. President Wayne Langford said some 'solid' discussions took place earlier, but no new policies were unveiled. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's looking to be a rough season for our meat processing sector, with companies struggling to compete with abundant grass and a turbo-charged store stock market. Some companies have dropped published lamb and beef schedules by 10c/kg, and the decline has prompted concerns. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So David Seymour’s right about Air New Zealand - but he’s also wrong about Air New Zealand. Before we get to why, let me bring you up to speed on what’s happened with the airline today, because the news is not good. Air New Zealand has posted a half-year result showing a $59 million pre-tax loss, which is slightly worse than expected. And to be fair to Air New Zealand, a lot of this really isn’t their fault. They’ve had not one, but two engine types in their fleet causing them trouble. And the economic downturn we’re experiencing in New Zealand - the worst in most of our lifetimes, you have to go back more than 50 years to find anything as bad - directly affects their earnings. If we don’t have money, we’re certainly not spending money on flights. But some of this is their fault. They’re squandering customer loyalty with poor on-time performance and a tired, diminished Koru Club offering. And this is where David Seymour is right when he says, “Go woke, go broke.” Because part of the reason Air New Zealand is…

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Air New Zealand recently posted a multi-million net loss, and it's prompted David Seymour to urge the Government to sell down shares in the airline. Do we think this is the right move? What's gone wrong here? New data from Cotality shows women are lagging behind men when it comes to home ownership. Why do we think this is? Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has made the jump across the ditch and has been spotted house-hunting in Sydney. What do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sky TV says even though it's had a strong first-half financial year result - the television market remains challenging. It's reported a $52 million net profit, turning around a $1.7 million loss last period. Its revenue rose eight percent, to about $414 million. Sky TV chief executive Sophie Moloney says revenue for traditional TV was softer than expected. "The TV side does seem to be suffering a bit more than others, so I do think it's incumbent on us to make sure that we're talking about that value and allowing our clients to see the benefits." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Should first responding volunteers be covered for post-traumatic stress caused by the job? ACC currently covers the responders for broad physical injury cover - but not for mental health harm. A petition to change the legislation with more than 36,000 signatures was unsuccessful last year. Land Search & Rescue chief executive Wendy Wright says most of their workforce are actually volunteers. "We can provide short-term support for them, but it's for those that have long-term PTSD - and it's that longer-term support that we are unable to provide." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Women are continuing to lag significantly behind men when it comes to home ownership. Data from Cotality shows more than half of Gen Z men surveyed own their own home, while just a third of women do. The disparity also exists amongst the millennial and Gen X age groups. Cotality Chief Property Economist Kelvin Davidson says it's not an attitude issue. "Females actually rate property ownership more important than males, pretty much across the spectrum. So this is about other things, monetary factors, there's unfortunately still that gender wage gap across New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's assuring it's on track for economic stability. The national airline's announced a first-half before-tax loss of $59 million. CEO Nikhil Ravishankar says the result's driven by challenges from aircraft being grounded, a softer recovery than expected - and rising costs. But he says they'll be well on the road to recovery over the next two to three years. "One of the key reasons I say that so confidently is for the first time in six years, we've got new aircraft coming back into the fleet and we're solving engine issues." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's celebrating a substantial drop in the number of victims of violent crime. Data from the latest Crime and Victims Survey shows there were 49,000 fewer victims of violent crime in the year to last October, compared to the two previous years. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this is good news, especially considering how frequent violent incidents and ram raids were in earlier years. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Dame Jacinda Ardern is now living across the Tasman. A spokesperson for Ardern says the family has been travelling for a few years now and for the moment they’re basing themselves out of Australia. The statement says they have work there, and it brings the added bonus of more time back home in New Zealand. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this follows weeks of speculation about Ardern house-hunting in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka by 61 runs in their super eight cricket match at the men's T20 World Cup in Colombo. The Black Caps recovered from 84 for six to post 168 for seven - the tournament co-hosts replied with 107 for eight. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's car-clamping system - targeting people owing fines and victim reparations - appears to be paying off. A law change since July allows cars to be clamped until people not paying court fines cough up. More than $700,000 has been paid since. Independent Victims Advocate, Claire Buckley, says about 600 people paid on the spot. "I think it's always been known that most of the time, these offenders have been able to pay and were electing not to, because for quite a long time, it was not enforced." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The head of France’s Louvre museum has resigned after a months-long string of scandals, including the brazen daylight theft of priceless jewels. Laurence des Cars submitted her resignation letter to President Emmanuel Macron, after facing months of pressure since the October robbery of US$100 million ($167.5m) of French crown jewels. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says some believe this resignation was a long time coming, as confidence in the Louvre has plummeted. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 25 February, 2026, we talk to Transport Minister Chris Bishop about plans to let E-scooters use cycle lanes and allow children under-12 to ride their bikes on the footpath. Why the Reserve Bank wants banks to set up more ATMs and branches. Real Estate agent Rawdon Christie tells us why so many newly built townhouses aren't selling. And on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour and Jack Tame assess Donald Trump's record one hour 47-minute State of the Union speech. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand won't be going cashless anytime soon under the Reserve Bank's new proposal. It wants to set up 1300 multi-bank hubs to provide full services free of charge. The plan ensures those in urban areas can walk to get cash - and the drive for those living rurally is reasonable. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI firm Anthropic has made upgrades to their Claude model and it's sparked concerns about what this could mean for markets and jobs. Claude specialises in coding and technology, and IBM's stock recently took a hit - with experts citing the model as a reason. Milford Asset Management expert Andrew Curtayne explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Australia's Labor Government is pushing to add 40 members to Parliament before the 2028 election. This move has prompted plenty of debate about the pros and cons. What do we think of this? The Government announced proposals to let under-13s bike on footpaths and allow e-scooters in cycle lanes. Transport Minister Chris Bishop says a 'common sense' approach is needed on this issue. Do we think this is fair? US President Donald Trump delivered a record-breaking State of the Union speech discussing crime, immigration and the economy. What did we make of the address? Why aren't people buying townhouses? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government announced today it wants to shake up the road rules a little - allowing kids under the age of 12 to ride their bikes on the footpath, and letting e-scooters use cycleways. Now, it might surprise you to learn that both of those things are against the rules. Kids aren’t allowed on footpaths on their bikes unless the wheel diameter is roughly the length of a ruler or smaller, and e-scooters are not allowed in cycle lanes. And it probably does surprise you, because we do these things all the time, don’t we? We’ve got a cycleway near our house and scooters are on that thing constantly - because frankly, it’s the safest place for a scooter to be. I took my boy and his six and nine-year-old cousins for a bike ride to the skate park at the beach during summer. They rode on the footpath. Two of those bikes were definitely against the rules - far too big. So you could probably characterise Chris Bishop’s proposed changes as simply updating the law to reflect what people are already doing. But I have a…

A positive financial result has gentailer Meridian thinking about infrastructure upgrades. It recorded a half year profit after tax of $227 million. Chief executive Mike Roan says they're considering increasing capacity at the Pukaki dam in the Mackenzie basin. He says it's still early days though. "The question that I've asked the team is - is it economic to do it? Does it actually make financial sense to expand the amount of hydro storage that we've got?" LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions have been raised over whether adding politicians in Australia would improve law-making or just add bureaucracy. Australia's Labor Government is pushing to add 40 members to Parliament before the 2028 election. Nine News chief political editor Charles Croucher says electorates are so large that it's becoming harder for single MPs to represent them. But he says Australia also has layers of Government to consider. "We're already pretty over-governed over here, it's not just the federal Parliament you've got to think about, it's state Parliament." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A real estate agent says there isn't enough demand to meet the supply of townhouses. Newly constructed townhouses are sitting on the market so long that they no longer qualify as 'new builds'. It means first-home buyers can't get low-deposit loans on the property. Real Estate Agent Rawdon Christie says developers are shifting close to what the market wants. "So rather than putting 15 in there, let's put 8 standalone two-story houses, which are still three-bedrooms." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A record-breaking State of the Union speech from Donald Trump. His 107 minute address today is the longest since records began in 1964. The US president also spoke directly to invited guests - including the US Olympic champion men's hockey team, victims of crime by illegal immigrants, and a 100-year-old World War II veteran. Reuters reporter Bo Erickson says Trump covered a wide-range of topics. "He really, kind of, treaded on older ground, though - focusing on a lot of domestic issues, like the economy and what his administration's trying to address." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Transport Minister says rule change proposals hope to return some common sense lost in New Zealand, long ago. The Government's today announced proposals to let under-13s bike on footpaths and allow e-scooters in cycle lanes. Consultation's open for the next month via the Transport Agency. Chris Bishop says it could mean some details may change and he's happy to take feedback on the policies into account. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump delivered his annual State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington. The US President's spoke for nearly two hours - with topics ranging from the cost of living, defence and immigration. It's the longest State of the Union speech since at least 1964. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked the highlights of the address. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump has broken records with his recent State of the Union speech. The President's address lasted more than an hour and 40 minutes, making it the longest speech before a joint session of Congress since 1964. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Trump claimed the US has been 'turned around' and praised his handling of the economy and defence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Scott Robertson will get an opportunity to coach against the Springboks this year. The former All Blacks mentor will guide the Barbarians for matches against the world champions and Wales. The fixture against South Africa is on June 20 at Port Elizabeth. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank's emphasising the importance of cash services being free-of-charge. It's proposed requiring the banking sector to provide accessible full-cash services across the country - at $104 million a year. The plan ensures those in urban areas can walk to get cash, and the drive for those living rurally is reasonable. Money and Cash Director Ian Woolford says people don't expect to pay to deposit or withdraw cash. "Communities need easier access to cash, closer to home...what we've learned, partly, from those cash trials is that this is what communities need." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Mandelson has been released on bail hours after his earlier arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, according to Met Police. This follows an investigation that took place earlier in the month over allegations that, while he was serving as a Government minister, Mandelson passed on sensitive information to Jeffrey Epstein. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Mandelson has denied any wrongdoing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's Ukrainian ambassador says the end of the war still seems a long time away. Today marks four years since the start of the large scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. Our Government's pledged another $8 million dollars in support, taking out total contribution to about $150 million. Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Myroshnychenko says Vladimir Putin has already seen 1.2 million of his soldiers killed, wounded or captured. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Momentum's sky-high for state-owned farming enterprise Pāmu. Landcorp's half-year net operating profit jumped $28 million - from a $2 million loss in December 2024 to a $26 million profit last December. It's forecasting a record full-year net operating profit of up to $107 million. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Early childhood education fees have soared, which could see more facilities closing their doors. Do we need the Government to intervene and help keep these facilities going? The People’s Select Committee of former MPs has written a report criticising the Government for scrapping the pay equity law last year. Do we agree with this? Private medication platform MediMap was reportedly hacked, with unauthorised changes made to people's records. What do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 24 February, 2026, we talk to former National MP Marilyn Waring about the Unofficial People's Select Committee report on pay equity changes. We ask Ukraine's ambassador what it would take to end the four-year war with Russia. A third of New Zealanders have savings of less than $500 - but South Islanders are better savers. And on The Huddle, Maurice Williamson and Mike Munro argue about parents facing increasing charges for early childhood education. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So, the People’s Select Committee of former MPs has reported back today and, completely unsurprisingly, has slammed the Government for scrapping the pay equity law last year. Which is fair enough in some ways, it was a shoddy process. The MPs say it offends the rule of law and they’re probably right. It was done in a hurry to save last year’s Budget, rushed through under urgency and changed the rules retrospectively. It’s all really cynical stuff from a Government and too much of that sort of behaviour undermines confidence in the way the system works. But even though they make some fair points and mount some fair criticism of the way Nicola Willis and Brooke van Velden ran this thing out, I can’t get past the next question I have, which is: so what? What do these former MPs think will happen as a result of this report? The pay equity scheme is not going to be brought back in the form it previously existed. It’s far too expensive. The cost to the Government was estimated at $13 billion over four years. The…

Media company NZME's remaining cautious about the economy despite a positive financial year. The owner of The Herald and Newstalk ZB reported a $13.1 million net after tax profit - turning around the previous year’s $16 million dollar loss. Its operating costs were four percent lower annually - reflecting the closure of community publications in December 2024. CEO Michael Boggs says it's a grind to recovery. "There's still been inflationary pressures, they're not feeling the best, they're not feeling confident yet to go and invest. And advertising is probably one of the first levers you can pull." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More early childhood education centres are expected to fold under rising costs. The Household Economic Survey shows the average weekly ECE fee has jumped from $25 in 2007, to $90 in 2023. Early Childhood Council CEO Simon Laube says pay parity rules have driven 443 centres to shut in the past three years. He says it drives up teacher salaries. "But the funding from the Government doesn't follow suit, so as the salaries increase, the providers are paying more and more to pay the teachers - but the funding stays the same." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The cost of living is hitting Kiwis hard, with new data showing Aucklanders are more likely to be worse off. More than a third of New Zealanders have a savings balance of less than $500, according to new data from Westpac. Westpac's Financial Wellbeing programme manager, Warren Ngan Woo, says Auckland is a big city where things cost more, which eats into people's ability to save money. "This is just a snapshot in relation to savings, but it certainly doesn't take into account what other people have in options with their savings." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mercury's achieved a strong return to profit. BusinessDesk says the energy company's half year earnings before interest to December 31- reached $537 million. It recorded a net $20 million dollar profit - up from a $67 million loss last year. Chief executive Stew Hamilton says they're doing well and don't need to raise capital. "We've been disciplined in how we manage our money, how we earn our money and spend it, so we're investing wisely, performing strongly - and I think that gives us options." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Findings claim the Government extinguishing pay-equity claims destroyed an earlier system that was fit for purpose. The People's Select Committee - a group of 10 former women MPs - has released its final report on the changes rushed through by the coalition under urgency last year. It held three months of hearings and almost 1400 submissions. Group chair and former National MP, Dame Marilyn Waring, raised questions about the 'urgency' that this legislation was rushed under. "This wasn't an emergency war regulation, it was an equal pay amendment. It's just quite unnecessary, you don't do that. And so, it was all done simply for the Budget." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's calling for caution, while agreeing with National that Auckland needs a new harbour crossing. The Infrastructure Commission last week suggested a toll as high as $9 to fund the new crossing - and also tolling the existing bridge. But Chris Hipkins ruled out tolling Auckland Harbour Bridge at his State of the Nation speech yesterday. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained why this position doesn't quite match Labour's earlier stance on extra costs for road users. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has written to his British counterpart Keir Starmer to confirm Australia would support the removal of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor from the line of succession. Andrew remains eighth in line to the throne - despite being stripped of his titles amid pressure over his ties to deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Albanese is the first Commonwealth leader to openly voice support for Andrew's removal from the line of succession. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Rugby will open applications for a rescoped high performance director role, to replace Chris Lendrum who is leaving after 20 years. Lendrum, who is NZR's general manager of professional and performance, will leave at the end of May. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave speculated further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns among experts following the latest medical platform hack that's left an impact on Kiwis. MediMap is widely used across New Zealand, particularly in aged care, disability, hospice, and community health. Some users' information had been changed, including altering ages, changing patient's names to Charlie Kirk - and claiming living users were deceased. CISO Lens Country Manager Nadia Yousef says it's unclear why this happened, and there's nothing hinting towards extortion or blackmail just yet. "It's not clear who did it, it's very unclear why - there's, I think, a lot more to follow over the next few days." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump recently took to Truth Social to offer to send a hospital boat over to Greenland - an offer Greenland's prime minister has criticised. Trump claimed in the post that 'many people' on the island are sick and 'not being taken care of'. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Trump has long coveted Greenland, and it's unusual that Trump would want to send extra medical help to a country with free healthcare. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump remains steadfast in his pursuit of sweeping global tariffs - slamming a US Supreme Court decision outlawing them as anti-American. The President's now taking advantage of a never-used trade law to enact 15 percent temporary levies, under the guise of a balance of payments deficit. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly unpacked the market reactions. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Comvita’s half-year result shows the company is seeing a noticeable financial turnaround. Its result for the six months ended December 31 had revenue up 18.3 percent to $118 million, EBIT up 10.7m to $10m, and debt reduced by $32.9m to $48.7m. Comvita CEO Karl Gradon says he's proud to see the company return to profitability and he's confident the company's been through the worst of it. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Remuneration Authority says more responsibility attracts more pay, as more local councillors see bigger pay rises. What do we make of this? The Government has proposed giving police more powers to move rough sleepers along. This has generated some backlash, but do we think this change is needed to improve New Zealand's city centres? Labour's Chris Hipkins has delivered his State of the Nation address in Auckland at a Business Chamber event. Did this make you feel more or less confident in Labour? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 23 February, 2026, the Genesis chief executive tells us why the energy company needs nearly $200 million from the Government. A Wellington councillor on whether the Government's "move-on" orders for homeless people will work. Chris Greenacre becomes interim coach of the Wellington Phoenix for a fourth time - should he just get the job? And on the Huddle, Trish Sherson and Josie Pagani give us their assessment of Chris Hipkins' State of the Nation speech. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listening to Chris Hipkins' State of the Nation speech today, I found it really hard to take him seriously. The speech was mostly just a list of things wrong with the country right now, most of which anyone who can remember back five, six, seven years, knows were caused by him, Grant, Jacinda and Adrian Orr. Take this line, for example: “I see young New Zealanders - smart, hardworking, full of potential - making calculations that no young person should have to. Do I stay in the country I love, or do I leave to build the life I've worked for? It breaks my heart.” Well, it shouldn’t break his heart - because he was warned about this. When he, Jacinda and Grant were contemplating those long Auckland lockdowns at the tail end of the pandemic, Treasury explicitly warned that young people would suffer the most. I quote: “The negative consequences are that low employment and income rates are shown to persist for young people well after recessions have waned.” - Treasury advice, 13 May, 2021. Now, we’ve already…