Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Chancellor Rachel Reeves had to hit back at a heckler while trying to answer questions from the media at a stand-up. Reeves was announcing that a planned increase in fuel duty would be scrapped to help consumers at a petrol station - while a man yelled pro-Reform comments from his truck. UK correspondent Enda Brady explained why more politicians in the UK seem to be copping backlash from certain fringe groups. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nvidia, the world's largest listed company and a critical bellwether on the health of the AI sector, posted record first-quarter earnings on Thursday of more than $136 billion. That's up 85 percent on a year ago, with forecasts for the next quarter of over $153 billion. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zespri has improved its profitability by selling more fruit at a higher value, according to new reports. The grower-owned kiwifruit marketer released its full-year results for the 2025/26 season, and it sold 248.1 million trays, up from 220.9m the year prior, with New Zealand supply reaching 215.6m, increasing from 193m. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute and and artist and local Government politician Oscar Kightley joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Why is Napier's mayor in a feud with the city's Youth Council? What do we make of this? Will Chris Bishop's social housing overhaul fix the issues with the system, or will it contribute to the existing problems? Is this the right move? Do the Corrections arrests indicate we need a more sophisticated system to control prison power? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 21 May, 2026, Chris Bishop on a social housing overhaul that'll leave some people worse off. The Corrections boss on cracking a network of corruption among her staff. Former Defence Minister Ron Mark tells us how our troops could help Ukrainian armed forces. And on The Huddle, Oscar Kightley and Thomas Scrimgeour on the Napier mayor's beef with the youth council. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For anyone still labouring under the impression that New Zealand is an innocent little place like it was 50 years ago, those prison busts should absolutely shatter that delusion. What happened was the single biggest bust in our prison system: 20 people arrested and charged across three different prisons - Mount Eden, Spring Hill and Auckland South. They have been charged with allegedly smuggling meth and phones into prison in exchange for cash payments. There are bribery charges and there are allegations that prisoners were organising drug importation and transactions while still in jail. It is not just Corrections guards either, it is also senior officers. That is actually more worrying because it tells you this is not about junior staff just recruited who were not properly vetted. These are people who have been there for a while. These are people on decent money - the kind of money you would not necessarily expect to be corruptible. That is what a network looks like right there. And it is not just in our prisons, by the way, that this sort of thing is happening. We have just had a police officer busted for leaking intelligence to her Killer Beez boyfriend this year. We have had people busted at ports, baggage handlers caught at airports - and this is exactly what we have been warned about by the crime advisory group working with the Government, which produced a series of reports last year. They warned that corruption is rising and that insider threats - where trusted people are corrupted - are a rapidly growing problem. And it is growing rapidly. Think about this - it was 2011 when we had our first corrections officer in this country jailed for corruption. Fifteen years later, we have allegedly uncovered an entire network. And it is the gangs. It is the fact that we have more sophisticated gangs coming in from Australia. It is the high price of drugs here, which makes New Zealand a more lucrative place to do business. It is the relatively low wages we pay our prison guards, police officers and baggage handlers. If you still think we do not have a corruption problem, just look at what happened. Twenty people are not just a few bad apples - they are a sign that we are now like the rest of the world and we have a corruption problem. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is set to go public - allowing people to trade shares in the firm on the stock market. The initial public offering (IPO) on the US stock market will likely be one of the largest in Wall Street history. NZ Herald senior business writer Chris Keall says this will likely come close to making Elon Musk a trillionaire. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaders of the Napier Youth Council wrote to the chief executive of Napier City Council after a public event they attended, claiming Napier mayor Richard McGrath called them a 'bunch of idiots who can't use pen and paper'. McGrath denied he said that and said he believed the Youth Council had been unfairly dragged into a political game. Hawke's Bay editor Chris Hyde has been following from the sidelines and he says McGrath's been off to a rough start as mayor. "There are a lot of people still in the council who don't think that he is suitable for the job, and so he's had a really challenging six months." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Defence Minister says our forces will help plug a gap in Ukraine aid. The Government's revealed New Zealand will be involved in an initiative to train Ukraine forces in Poland. It includes personnel from countries like Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden, and Ukraine. Ron Mark says Ukraine soldiers do basic training before learning specialties. "What does New Zealand offer? They take the pressure off of the Ukrainian training system, and getting their soldiers through that first phase. That's pretty essential." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of Budget 2026, the Government has confirmed changes are coming to social housing costs. State housing tenants will pay a minimum 30 percent of their income on rent - up from 25 percent from next April. Accommodation supplements for private renters will increase. Housing Minister Chris Bishop says the current system doesn't work for taxpayers or Kiwis on the list for social housing. "There's actually a lot of people on the social housing register who'd like to get in, but can't, because we've got this system where people are essentially trapped in social housing. And we've got a view in society that it's a social house fore life, when it actually should be timely and temporary." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The acting head of Corrections says staff integrity is a priority, after revelations of a major prison corruption investigation. Twenty people have been charged, including 15 Corrections and Reintegration officers at Auckland's Mt Eden, Waikato's Spring Hill, and Auckland South Corrections facilities - and five members of the public. They're accused of smuggling phones, drugs and tobacco to prisoners in exchange for cash. Corrections' acting chief executive Rachel Leota says they will continue to support staff. "Work with our unions - and I met with them last night - there are many other things that we can be doing, and we will continue to commit to doing that to ensure our staff are safe." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A major overhaul of social housing will see costs for renters going up. From next April, 30 percent state tenants' income will go into rent - up from 25 percent, about $31 dollars more a week. That'll be re-invested into increasing the Accommodation Supplement. Housing Minister Chris Bishop says the Government wants to reduce social housing costs, saying it's not getting bang for buck on what it spends. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian media is reporting over 230 cases of diphtheria in 2026, primarily in the Northern Territory, but also in Western Australia, South Australia and Queensland. The outbreak is the largest in decades, with the disease previously considered largely eradicated - and one person has reportedly died as a result. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the federal Government aims to get workforce numbers up in order to boost vaccinations amid the ongoing outbreak. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netball New Zealand have appointed experienced administrator Jennah Wootten as their new chief executive. Wootten has held a number of roles at various organisations including Sport New Zealand, ATEED, and the 2021 women's Cricket World Cup. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new research report from engineering firm WSP and the Helen Clark Foundation claims more Government agencies need to factor cost-benefit analysis in planning their projects. The report, Measuring what Matters, found hat despite billions of dollars being spent on infrastructure each year, New Zealand lacks a mandatory, system-wide requirement for demonstrating value for money across investment decisions. Taxpayers' Union spokesperson Tory Relf says it's 'ludicrous' that there aren't clear standards in place. "They know how to do this, they know whether a project is going to be value for money for taxpayers - and yet, they're not using it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Government has loosened strict sanctions on Russian oil refined into diesel and jet fuel in third countries as prices rise. The effective blockade of the key Strait of Hormuz has continued to generate supply chain concerns, and jet fuel and pump prices are getting higher - with no hope for change in sight. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says experts are predicting fuel prices will go higher in the next few weeks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins doesn't think the public much cares about which companies would be in the party's Future Fund. It won't be revealing key details - including the cost to the Crown and which state assets would go into it - until after voters go to the polls. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacked the reactions to this announcement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 20 May, 2026, we ask Regulation Minister David Seymour if 267 regulators in New Zealand is too many. Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson tells us if it's landed three more Air New Zealand international flights because Auckland Airport is charging too much. In an exclusive interview, we hear why new Breakers coach Gordon Herbert was attracted to the NBL. And on The Huddle, Jack Tame and Maurice Williamson tell us why they want more detail on plans to slash public servants. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ongoing conflict in Iran has led to bond yields and interest rates going up all over the world, and it's prompted concerns among experts. This will impact Kiwis as well, as many KiwiSaver portfolios have taken a hit as a result. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson 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! The Government has confirmed there's more public service cuts to come ahead of Budget 2026. What do we make of this? Do we think AI can really replace all these jobs? What are the chances of Auckland Council's rates rise being kept to less than 7.9 percent? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've got to tell you something – I'm embarrassed. Watching this public debate about how many public servant jobs are going to be cut in order to make way for AI is just embarrassing. The fact we're having this debate at all is ultimately Nicola Willis's fault, because she listed three expectations when she announced the reform of the public service: 1) That agencies amalgamate 2) That there is a cap of 55,000 people in the public sector 3) That the public sector digitises and adopts AI Because AI is the new bogeyman that everybody is supposed to be afraid of, the media then became obsessed with it. They started contacting ministers' offices and demanding to know what we're actually meant to do with AI. The verdict, however, was many ministers weren't actually sure what they would be doing in their portfolios. And it's embarrassing in the same way it's embarrassing watching your parents or grandparents discuss that newfangled technology that's absolutely going to change our lives, without any real grip on its uses and limitations, because they don't actually use it. It feels like blaming the public service cull in the 1980s on those new computer devices that were going to replace all the workers. Except we're all still working, we're just each using a computer. Let's be honest about AI, okay? For those of us out there who don't use it and ask, “What is this?”, AI is probably hugely overpromising. It's not going to do all the things or replace all the workers that you think it will. At the moment, it's mostly really good for summarising, drafting, searching documents, handling repetitive admin, and managing customer service. There are some obvious applications for AI, like helping a beneficiary find all their entitlements by going through an AI system on a computer, without having to tie up a person on the phone for an hour. But AI cannot really be relied on for more complex tasks that require humans, like risk assessment, ethical judgments, or political management. No one who actually uses AI thinks it's going to replace 8,700 jobs – or even a quarter of those jobs, or even a tenth of them. Having this debate actually feels quite silly. Public service numbers need to come down with or without AI. AI doesn't have to be part of this debate. We have 16,000 more public servants than we did nine years ago, and no one's getting better service. So you don't need all those people – that's the argument. AI, here, is just a distraction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Infratil says it has agreed to sell 53.53 million shares - representing a 5 percent stake - in Contact Energy through a fully underwritten block trade. The sale is at $9.25 per ordinary share, generating expected gross proceeds of about $495.17 million, and taking Infratil's shareholding down to 9.08 percent. The sell-down is expected to complete on May 25. Generate investment specialist Greg Smith says Infratil will have other opportunities they'll want to take advantage of, like data centres. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Christchurch flights are being hailed as a key step for global connectivity. From October, Air New Zealand will fly direct between Christchurch and Singapore, Tokyo and Perth. Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson says Christchurch is in a really good place, and more people will want to experience the city. "People want to come and visit, they want to go to events, they want to see the place, they want to access the South Island - and so I'd say that's the primary draw card." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Breakers have pulled off a massive coup by securing experienced coach Gordon Herbert on a two-year deal. He replaces Petteri Koponen, who parted ways with the Auckland-based franchise in February after two years in the role. Herbert says he's 'incredibly excited' to join the team in this new role. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing calls for a string of dating app attacks in Invercargill to be treated as a hate crime. Two 15-year-olds and two 16-year-olds have been charged with aggravated burglary, after four alleged incidents in which people were lured to secluded locations through dating apps and attacked. YouBeYou founder Gordy Lockhart says it appears to be a targeted attack, taking advantage of gay men's vulnerability. He explained the LGBT community are typically more alone, have less family and support networks - and have to meet people in places like parks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regulation Minister David Seymour says New Zealanders should only have to knock at one regulator's door to get something done. A Ministry report out today identifies almost 270 different organisations within our regulation system. They're spread across central and local Government, and statutory bodies, committees and tribunals. Seymour says this feels like New Zealand is a small country with a too-big Government, and changes need to be made. "You just feel that a lot of things would be easier if we looked at these and said - hey, maybe we need fewer agencies focused on doing things that are essential, we'd getter better results, less costs, it'd be easier to fix things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says she's disappointed by revelations MFAT is exempt from cutting spending this year. It's been confirmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade won't be given a reduced baseline budget. Most agencies face two percent cuts - but MFAT will be subject to the same five percent reduction for most agencies next year, and the year after. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Trump's reiterating he's prepared to do what it takes to prevent Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. He announced yesterday he had called of plans for another attack this week, at the request of some Gulf states. Donald Trump today told media US officials are still negotiating, but Iran may need another 'big hit'. Middle East correspondent Gordon Robison says it's unclear what will happen next, but Vice President JD Vance has claimed they can't allow an 'arms race'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The celebrations are firmly underway in North London, after Arsenal's first Premier League title in 22 years. They can't be caught at the top of the table after Bournemouth held second placed Manchester City to a 1-all draw. Arsenal had finished second for three straight seasons. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Public Service Commissioner says deep cuts to the public service may seem dramatic, but the problem's built up over a long time. The Finance Minister says about 8700 staff will go by mid-2029, and most agencies' operating budgets will progressively reduce in coming years. Sir Brian Roche says cutting staffing down to 55,000 brings it to about one percent of the population. He says cuts and finding efficiencies should be more constant. "We only seem to reform ourselves every 30 or 40 years, we actually need to get much more cotemporary and dynamic in the way we think about organisations." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new poll shows people in the UK are in the mood for a leadership change. An exclusive YouGov poll for Sky News shows Andy Burnham has overtaken Keir Starmer as the preferred Labour leader. UK correspondent Enda Brady explained the results further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queenstown will need to double its infrastructure within 15 years to keep pace with growth, according to Southern Infrastructure chief executive Ross Copland. Copland warned the resort town's roads could reach capacity by the end of the decade - and said changes need to be made. Infrastructure NZ chief executive Nick Leggett says Queenstown draws in a lot of visitors and it'll leave a bad taste if people can't get around properly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 19 May, 2026, we talk to the New Zealand Initiative's Roger Partridge about whether Nicola Willis' plan to cut nearly 9000 public servants has gone far enough. We ask paediatrics professor Barry Taylor if soft sleeping pods for babies should be banned. Religious studies expert Peter Lineham tells us if Exclusive Brethren are likely to follow orders to get rid of their pets. And on The Huddle with Phil O'Reilly and Katie Bradford discuss the case of a chief executive slapping a contractor. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and NZ Herald senior correspondent Katie Bradford joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Nicola Willis has confirmed more cuts will be made to the public service sector. Do we think changes are needed here? Ae we worried about the job losses? A former contractor at property coaching company Wealth Mentor has released a video appearing to show the company's chief executive slapping her in the face during a studio filming session. Is this out of line? What do we make of this? A religious sect has ordered its members to get rid of their pets after after a young family member of leader Bruce Hales was attacked by a dog. What do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new partnership between the New Zealand Game Animal Council and Wild Game Recovery Trust has been launched to donate meat to households in need. Using the Hunt and Share platform, the programme connects hunters, butchers and foodbanks while supporting safe and traceable meat donations from hill to table. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the release of last week's Budget, there's growing claims that Australians are looking across the Tasman with 'genuine envy'. A recent article in The Australian claimed that with no capital gains tax, no stamp duty or land tax, and the opportunity to negatively gear, business owners and property investors have taken more interest in New Zealand as a result. Australian independent economist Saul Eslake says this is likely just wishful thinking as a response to the recent Budget. "People look over the ditch and see that New Zealand's top rate of 39 is lower than our top rate of 46...and that you don't really have a capital gains tax, other than on assets that are held for less than two years, so they might think that looks more attractive than Australia." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you'd expect, I'm a huge fan of Nicola Willis' plan to cut down the size of the public sector. This is the second issue I've been harping on about to her. The other one was, obviously, the fees-free year for university students. So I'm stoked that, on this show, we're two from two in terms of agitating for cutting back on wasteful public spending. The public service in this country is too big. There are 63,000 public servants. There were only around 47,000 when Jacinda and Grant started throwing money around. We have 39 Government departments and ministries. Ireland has 18. Australia has 16. We have 39. We have Government departments like the Ministry for Women that don't appear to do anything other than write reports and make work for themselves. Now, anyone arguing against cutting back public servants - and there are some people doing this - needs to explain why. And if the answer is, “Oh, because it's someone's job,” well, that is not an answer. Because if it's a job we don't need, but we keep it just to keep someone in work, then that's just really expensive welfare, isn't it? But as much as I love this proposal, I am worried. I just can't shake the feeling that this coalition may not follow through on this promise because this is the second time they've made it. Before the last election, ACT was saying they were going to cut 14,000 public servants. Have they cut 14,000 public servants? No, they haven't. They haven't done it. And it feels like this announcement has been dreamt up at the weekend because there's no actual plan - just an announcement. And that announcement is that the public service is going to be asked to design its own downsizing. So it feels a bit on the fly. Also, it's a week before the Budget, which makes you wonder if this has been announced so Treasury can take 9000 public servants out of the Government's payroll when doing the Budget forecasts for next week - thereby putting the books in better shape and maybe bringing the surplus forward a little. Do you see what I'm doing here? Maybe this is all just designed to look better than it actually will be. Once bitten, twice shy. But it's a hell of a big risk for National to commit to something like this publicly and then not deliver. So I've got my fingers crossed. This could just be the start of unwinding years of public sector bloat. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi members of a religious sect may have to chose between their faith and their pets. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has told followers to get rid of their animals after a young family member of leader, Bruce Hales, was attacked by a dog. Reportedly, many have already done so. Massey University religious studies expert, Peter Lineham, says members are being required to declare what they've done with pets at church meetings this month. "We can expect possibly some people who love their dogs more than God will leave the Brethren over this." The church is refuting claims members have been told to euthanise their pets. It says it's simply restating its existing position on them, and says that members should re-home their pets without harm to a willing neighbour, colleague, or local animal shelter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are flagging the dangers of some sleeping devices, after a five-month old's death in 2022. The baby boy was found unresponsive and died after being left in his sleeping pod on his stomach, with blankets around his face. The Coroner says the pods, also called loungers, are unsafe - and recommended more restrictions. Emeritus paediatrics professor Barry Taylor says sleeping pods differ from pepī-pods, made of hard plastic. "If you put your face hard against the hard surface, you've still got spaces in the creases between the nose - so it's not like it's moulded against the face." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New Zealand Initiative is praising Government plans to slash almost 9,000 public service roles by mid-2029. It also intends to reduce Government departments and immediately start cutting agency budgets. The free-market think tank says it's a great step, but ministerial portfolios should also be cut. Board chair Roger Partridge says there's too much duplication. "Some policy areas, like housing, report to as many as 10 different portfolio-holding ministers - and some departments, like MBIE, report to over 20 ministers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour has admitted key details about its Future Fund, including the cost to the Crown and which state assets will be rolled into it, will not be released until after voters have gone to the polls. Labour's finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds admitted the party doesn't itself know which public assets will go in the fund, and won't know until it gets advice from officials after the election. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper has dismissed this as 'rubbish' - and questions what this means for Labour's capabilities. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has left the door open to a partnership with One Nation ahead of the next election. One Nation is continuing to outpoll the coalition, and Taylor has expressed interest in doing whatever he can to beat Labour. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the next election is set to take place in 2028 - but the chance of this arrangement happening is 'slim'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.