Podcasts about plessis allan

Fair enough for James Shaw to back his co-leader Marama Davidson over her speech about the Queen this week.  I can't see that Marama Davidson did anything wrong. I think some have the impression that using the first set of speeches to mark the Queen's death was the wrong time for Marama Davidson to have a crack at the royals for colonisation. And that she was complaining that the Queen's death was distracting from Maori language week. But that's not a fair representation of the speech. Marama Davidson was actually quite respectful.  She made a point at the start of the speech of acknowledging the grief the Queen's family will be feeling and the love many Maori have expressed for the Queen. And then gently spoke about colonisation and the impacts on Maori. And what she really saved her powder for was Parliament itself: the fact that Parliament was taking the week off. Marama Davidson argues a week is too long because there is too much work being missed now. On that point I wholeheartedly agree with her. Taking an entire week off smacks of nothing but laziness from MPs. On the other stuff - the impacts of colonisation - you might not agree with Marama Davidson.  People hold different opinions, but all you can ask is that they're voiced in a respectful and measured way and she did exactly that.   Which is a hell of a lot more than you say can about the Australian NRL player who called the Queen a dog, the indigenous academic in the states wishing pain on the Queen, or even the borderline stuff Maori party co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer was retweeting on the day the Queen died. At least Marama Davidson delivered her speech in a dignified way. So fair enough of James Shaw to back her up.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this matter of the Rugby Union losing $280,000 because they don't have enough women on the board. If you haven't caught up on it, news came through yesterday that Sport NZ has ordered all the sports governing bodies to have at least 40% women on their boards and if they don't, they'll lose funding. NZR is the only organization out of 65 not to have enough women. It has 9 spots on the board, three are women. If they have one more they'll be sweet, but they don't yet. So they've lost money. This is a stupid policy, let me tell you why. Number one- that money was meant for community rugby initiatives including funding women's rugby. So Sport NZ has decided having one more woman sitting at the board table is more important than funding women's rugby. So worst case scenario would be a bunch of female rugby players out there going without whatever it is they need. Because Sport NZ is more worried about getting a nice middle class lady a board position than it is about them.  Funny priorities for an organization that exists to fund sports. Not board appointments.  Secondly- why does NZR actually need more women on the board? The argument you'll get, which is what we got from the Sports Minister Grant Roberston last night, is that more women equal better quality decisions.  Really?  Farah Palmer was appointed in 2016, and Dame Patsy Reddy and Rowena Davenport were appointed in April. Have the NZR  decisions got better since then?  No. That board still makes shocking decisions even with women on the board. They prematurely appointed Ian foster at the end of last year when they shouldn't have. Then they allowed all that drama to play out where NZR refused to publicly back Foster. Then they endorsed him through to the World Cup just before he lost to Argentina massively.  And by the way, there are real question marks over whether there is any actual evidence for this received wisdom that more women equals better decision making. Economist Eric Crampton's pointed out that when you actually read the academic studies on this, there is no real evidence. Withholding money from a sports body like this is wrong. And let's understand exactly what Sport NZ wants NZR to do. They want NZR to sack a male board member so a woman can replace him, and if NZR won't, they're publicly blackmailed. What a cool idea.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An outpouring of global tributes are flowing for the Queen, as Britons wake up to their first full day of mourning following the Monarch's death earlier today. Queen Elizabeth II will lie in state at Westminster Hall for about four days before her funeral, which is expected to be in less than two weeks. King Charles III is expected to make his first televised speech as King tomorrow morning our time. British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Iona Thomas, told Heather du Plessis-Allan she met the Queen one-on-one while being honoured for her work as Deputy Ambassador to Libya and it was a special moment. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queen Elizabeth II had a strong connection to New Zealand throughout her reign. She visited New Zealand ten times, the last being in 2002 as part of her Golden Gubilee celebrations. There has been 96 gun salute on Wellington's waterfront this evening; one for every year of her life. Dr. Sean Palmer, chair of Monarchy NZ joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's almost unbelievable today that we only saw Queen Elizabeth II two and half days ago. Two days before she passed away, she was working.  She was greeting the UK's new Prime Minister Liz Truss in her tartan skirt and light blue cardy in front of the fire at Balmoral.  Clearly, she was frail.  She had her cane and for the first time in her reign, she didn't' go to London to meet the new PM; the new PM had to come to her in Scotland.  We all knew she was having a tough time  But I don't think any of us would've realized she would be gone so soon after that, because who else would work right up to the last?   The Queen would.  That is incredible. What a remarkable commitment to her job.  She really was something else. No other monarch in the world commands this much respect. Even from corners of the globe that really have no ties to Britain anymore.  Places like the US. They've lowered their flags to half-mast. Because, in a way, the Queen became a symbol for many people in the English speaking world, even if England itself meant nothing to them.  A symbol of what you may ask?  Maybe of times gone past, of an old way of doing things.  But maybe of a kind of ideal. A person of good character when so many news pages are filled with politicians and celebrities displaying the opposite.   A person who never stopped doing what she said she would. On her 21st birthday she said “I declare before you all, that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service.”  And she kept that promise.  Maybe also because we watched her publicly face the challenges of being a mum, a grandmother, and the head of a family.  That's a job a lot of us know is hard enough without having to do it in public. I think we've got used to how hard the Queen worked. We've never seen anyone else do it, so we have no point of comparison. But I think in time we will come to really understand how much she must've pushed herself. All of her life and right up to the end, even two days ago . Isn't that remarkable? Wasn't she remarkable?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Britain has entered an official mourning period following the death of the Queen. After her coffin returns to London, the Queen will lie in state in Westminster Hall for about four days before her funeral. TVNZ Europe Correspondent Mei Heron told Heather du Plessis Allan there will still crowds outside Buckingham Palace when she left at 1am local time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Queen continues to be remembered by New Zealanders who knew her. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sang happy birthday to the Queen at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and met Her Majesty. She told Heather du Plessis Allan it's extraordinary the Queen had welcomed new Prime Minister Liz Truss just days before. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has spoken highly of New Zealand's new head of state. King Charles The Third has now taken over Sovereignty, following the death of Queen Elizabeth The Second earlier today. Her Majesty passed away aged 96 at Balmoral Castle, surrounded by family. Jacinda Ardern told Heather du Plessis-Allan says like his mother, King Charles has a real affinity with New Zealand. She says during the times she spoke with the Royals, it was during things like lockdown, during royal visits and in the aftermath of March 15. Officials are looking at options for a moment of silence. The Prime Minister says they want to ensure it's a time when people can pose and take part nationally - and details will likely be put out in the next 24 to 48 hours. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to remember Queen Elizabeth II. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister and Chris Hipkins should just apologise to the people of Northland. Of course they owe them an apology. They let three women cross the border from Auckland to Northland.  They gave them permission. And those women took Covid with them and Covid - back then - equalled a government lockdown. Yes, it wasn't Jacinda and it wasn't Chris who signed off on the permission for those women to go over the border. It was some faceless bureaucrat in MSD. But it was the system that Jacinda and Chris designed and they are more than happy to take the credit for all the times they think their system worked, but they are not happy to take the blame when their system didn't work. That region went into an 11 day lockdown. And that was on top of being cut off from the rest of the country by Auckland's border for months.  Chris and Jacinda's refusal to apologise to Northlanders for what they had to go through says to me these two have no idea what Auckland and Northland and parts of Wakiato went through.  They sat comfy in Wellington for the entire duration of that Delta lockdown and border closure that went on for months, going to cafes and restaurants and being normal. They don't know how hard that was.  And they clearly don't know also how shady this looks. They knew at the time of the lockdown that it was a government problem and they said nothing.  In that press conference at the very start they blamed the women for using "false information" to get travel permits.But they knew it was actually their fault.  Chris Hipkins let it slip in an interview that "There was a degree of error in the approval in the first place".  That was on day 5 of the lockdown.  But that was all he said, in one interview that most of us wouldn't' have heard.  So they let us all believe for 11 months that those women were to blame and never corrected the record form what we can see. That's shady. So yes, they should apologise for the sake of the Northlanders who were put through that lockdown by a Government stuff up.  And for their own sake, because if they don't, they'll just keep on being untrustworthy and act like they don't really care what happened to the people of Northland because their system stuffed up.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've suspected something for a while, and now that I've watched the Sunday programme on the emergency housing disaster in Roturua, I'm convinced.  Rotorua will not recover from this.  It will not go back to being the city it was.  It's just not possible.  This has gone too far now. 50 motels on or near Fenton Street are housing the homeless. There are about 1100 people in Rotorua in these motels or similar. All of these people need houses. The council reckons it's going to take them 5 years, at least, to build enough homes which means for the next five years those people are still in those motels, trashing them like we saw on Sunday. Causing fights on the street outside. Freaking neighbours out so they sleep with baseball bats by the door. So for the next five years they will also keep trashing Rotorua's reputation.   Who of us are going to want to go on holiday to Rotorua? If we can afford to go to Hawke's Bay or New Plymouth or Queenstown, why would we go to Rotorua? Which means there will be no other business for those motels, really, other than to keep doing what they're doing . Eventually - if it hasn't already happened - this will drive families out of town.  Parents will take their kids and find jobs and schools in towns that are safer and have a future. They will sell their houses before the value falls too far. And the people who will be left behind will be those too cash strapped to leave, the emergency accommodation people, the moteliers and the security guards. National and the Maori Party are right to call for an inquiry into what's happened here.  This is as Rawiri Waititi says "a train wreck". We will probably for decades talk about what the 6th Labour Government did to Rotorua.   But no inquiry will rescue Rotorua.  The damage is done.  The one time jewel in our tourism crown seems destined to end up like Patea: a town that ran out of opportunities. Rotorua is just a bigger version. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost a hundred police staff are taking a personal grievance over their treatment for refusing to get the Covid vaccine. The vaccine mandate for Police was overturned in the High Court in February - and 91 people are now complaining about what's happened since they got back to work. Employment lawyer Chris Scarrott told Heather du Plessis-Allan there needs to be good rationale for any vaccine policy - whether enforced by Government or the Police themselves. He says it's about looking at each of the roles and assessing whether there are particular reasons to protect health and safety. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are media outlets running stories almost daily unmasking these people as conspiracy theorists, warning that they're threatening to make the country “ungovernable” and telling us these people are ‘very' dangerous. What's the harm these conspiracy theorists can actually do if they get elected?  Yes some of them say they want to make New Zealand ungovernable and I don't like the sound of that but let's be realistic; It's local government, not parliament.  And what's more there might be one or two or a smattering of them on council. There is only so much disruption a couple of people can cause . We've had conspiracy theorists on council before.  We've even had them as mayors. Think of Sandra Goudie.  She seems to have some pretty kooky ideas about the vaccine. What harm did she actually do? Thames Coromandel district council still seems to be ticking along ok.  I say that as a ratepayer. Yes, many of them are concealing their links with conspiracy groups like Voices for Freedom but that's pretty normal in council level politics. Remember when Jacinda Arden tried to pretend Wellington mayor Justin Lester wasn't a Labour party mayor when he was?  And yes, they have some kooky ideas but so do the green party candidates who are already on Wellington council.  Frankly I'd rather take my chances with a conspiracy theorist than a 23 year old Green party councillor who actively tries to stop economic development in the capital city like the airport expanding. I don't mind giving these people media attention like the media outlets are.  They are fascinating.  I'm reading the stories. And having information is better than having none.  But wow, can we tone down the hype and scaremongering? Really, how much harm can these people actually do?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Controversial pastor and would-be politician Brian Tamaki claims his umbrella party will get into Parliament. Tamaki and his supporters copped flak for holding a mock trial of politicians outside Parliament last week. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson's described Tamaki as extreme, and National's Chris Luxon has called the new party crazy. But Tamaki told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's confident he has the numbers. He says he has many supporters and thinks the party will easily surpass the five percent threshold quite easily. The five percent threshold equates to 177 thousand votes. Between 1500-2000 turned up to Tamaki's protest last week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is a good day in New Zealand. The Government has backed down on their plans to tax your Kiwisaver.  Is this the fastest back down in the history of backdowns in this country?  Somebody needs to check David Parker for whiplash, such is the force with which he slammed the brakes on his own tax plan. It's amazing what the team of five million can do if we work together.  From the tax experts to the fund managers to the texters on this station and the opposition parties, we have all collectively said no to Labour.  And a good bloody thing too, because had they gone through with the IR plans, we would have ended up with less money for our retirement. Individual savers with $100K in their pot would've lost about $20K over 25 years. Over 45 years we would've collectively lost $103 billion to the Government's grasping. Yes, it is a tax on the management fee of Kiwisaver rather than the funds in Kiwisaver, but the point is the same: we end up each accumulating less to retire on.  And when you think of it like that, it's actually mad.  We want people to save money to retire on.  That's the point of Kiwisaver.  When that is the aim, there is no justification for the government then pilfering so we end up with less to retire on.  You know what else is objectionable? Trying to sneak it in through the legislation but not mentioning it in the press release yesterday afternoon. And you know what else is objectionable? Bringing in another tax when they promised us no new taxes. A retirement tax on top of the ute tax and the amazon tax and the landlord tax and the longer bright-line test tax. It is our good fortune that David Parker is already this week donkey deep in bad news after being slammed by the Auditor General for the sloppiness with the cost of living payment. He could probably not handle any more.  So congratulations New Zealand.  Here's to people power. We're stuck with this lot for at least another year but – as we saw today - if we work together we might just be able to stop their stupider ideas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calls for New Zealand to emulate a US student debt write off. President Joe Biden is planning to forgive some student debt for workers earning less than $125,000. Kiwi Student Union Association President, Andrew Lessells told Heather du Plessis-Allan there's merit in doing it here. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Countdown workers say body cameras for staff aren't a silver bullet. The supermarket giant is considering trialling them to discourage verbal and physical abuse from customers. Video and audio from team safety cameras can be legally gathered by the company from tomorrow. First Union retail secretary Ben Peterson told Heather du Plessis Allan they're open to experimenting, but want effective solutions to the problem. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Defence Minister Ron Mark says if Dominic Abelen's body is with the Russians, it's not pleasant to think about what they could do with it. The New Zealand soldier was on leave from the Defence Force when killed fighting in Ukraine. Mr Mark told Heather du Plessis-Allan from reports he's read, Mr Abelen fought like a lion, saving fellow troops and killing some they were fighting against. Mark says Russia could use the body for propaganda, as a bargaining tool, or to make a political point. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Claims the Government can't back up claims systemic racism is to blame for poor Māori health outcomes. Think tank the New Zealand Initiative's, latest report argues health funding should be assigned regardless of race. Author, Bryce Wilkinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan he believes poor Māori health can be attributed more to socio-economic factors. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand chair Rob Campbell is calling complaints over meetings a storm in a teacup. The new centralised health agency is shutting the public out of its monthly board meeting. Campbell says it's not a DHB. He says the former Heath Boards were required by legislation to have open meetings but also had private ones. Campbell told Heather du Plessis-Allan creating access on a national basis is quite different to allowing a reporter at a local meeting. “The pure logistics of it are hard, we're not required to hold our meetings in public, and indeed, other crown entities like us don't hold their meetings in public.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Industrial action in the UK may get even worse this summer. Belgium's energy minister is warning the EU of "terrible winters" if there is no price cap on gas. Enquiries into building solar panels have risen as energy bills soar. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand is shutting out the public from its monthly board meetings. Chair Rob Campbell has defended the decision, saying the former DHBs were required by legislation to have open meetings but also had private ones. Jan Tinetti has hinted at changes to how kids are taught how to read. Appearing on TVNZ's Q+A, she made clear her support of reverting back to phonics (sounding out the letters to make the word) like New South Wales has. Trevor Mallard has said that he would accept a knighthood if offered one. Despite his republican leanings, Mallard made the comments in an interview when discussing his Dublin appointment. The Government has made changes to the cost of living payments ahead of the second one coming this week. Revenue Minister David Parker made changes to the scheme after Auditor-General John Ryan slammed the first round in a letter to Inland Revenue Commissioner Peter Mersi. Hayden Munro and David Farrar joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on The HuddleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland principal says a pedestrian crossing outside his school is so dangerous he's had to leap onto the road to stop students from getting hit. He's had to take students off road patrol duty and has appealed to Auckland Transport for help. Glenavon School Principal John Hunte joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Philanthropist Sir Ray Avery is packing his bags for Australia. He says he's sick of the tall poppy syndrome here, whereas Australians hold their high achievers in high regard. He also claims the Government refused to listen to his ideas on how to make New Zealand a better place. NZME Business Commentator Fran O'Sullivan joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fixed term mortgage rates may already have peaked according to Kiwibank's latest forecasts. It also says the Reserve Bank may start lowering interest rates in the second half of next year. Kiwibank chief economist Jarrod Kerr joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Speaker Trevor Mallard has said he would accept a knighthood if offered one despite his republican leanings. He made the comments in an interview over the weekend when discussing his appointment to Dublin, but Ardern would not say if he would be offered one. The Government has tightened up on the cost of living payments. Ahead of the second payment, Revenue Minister David Parker made changes to the scheme after Auditor-General John Ryan slammed the first round in a letter to Inland Revenue Commissioner Peter Mersi. Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transporting NZ is quietly confident the Government will extend fuel tax relief past January. A litre of diesel is just nine cents a litre cheaper than regular petrol at the moment. New Zealanders have been saving around $276 a week on a 40-litre tank since the tax pause was introduced in April. CEO Nick Leggett told Heather du Plessis-Allan fuel needs to be kept low at the moment. “For us to transition our economy to being more efficient and reducing our fossil fuel use is by investing in technology, and you can't do that when you've got an economic slowdown and sluggish productivity.” LISTEN ABOVE LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If Jan Tinetti changes the way we teach kids to read in the way she's hinting she might do, I will rate her as one of the most important ministers in this Government, just for doing the right thing and for the consequence of that. We've been having a debate for years now about what the heck is going wrong with our kids' ability to read in this country. It used to be that Kiwi kids led the world in reading. Now almost half of our kids are below their expected reading level when they finish primary school. Increasing numbers of academics, teachers and schools are blaming the way we teach kids to read because we stopped teaching phonics (which is sounding out the letters to make the word) and increasing numbers of them want to go back to teaching phonics like New South Wales has. Jan Tinetti has just hinted that we might do that. She appeared on Q+A yesterday and made it very clear the evidence points to phonics – or a related form of learning called structured literacy — being the best approach. That hints very strongly that that is what she wants to roll out to schools when she starts developing the new reading curriculum later this year. She's got a battle ahead of her. Not all teachers are on board with phonics. There are a lot out there who are deeply committed to teaching the whole language approach instead and they will resist. Jan Tinetti knows it. She says she's ready for the backlash. I hope she sticks to her guns because teaching our kids to read properly is so important to their engagement in school and their futures. Sometimes a kid learning to read or not is the difference between them having a successful life or dropping out of school and causing trouble. If Jan Tinetti does this and if she lifts our kids' reading rates, I'd be prepared to forgive this government a lot of the things they do wrong because this is one of the most important things to get right.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Questions over where the All Blacks go from here after Saturday's defeat to Argentina. The All Blacks go to next weekend's test in Hamilton having dropped back into fifth on the World Rugby rankings. There has also been harsh criticism of the NZR board over their decision to keep Ian Foster until the 2023 World Cup, despite winning 2 of the last 8 tests. The NZR board unanimously decided to keep Foster after their 35-23 victory against South Africa in Johannesburg. Weekend Sport host Jason Pine joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The pressure is on All Blacks coach Ian Foster again. The NZR board had unanimously decided to keep him until the 2023 Rugby World Cup as announced in a press conference two weeks ago. It came after the team beat the Springboks 35-23 in Johannesburg, but since then the All Blacks followed it up by losing to Argentina 25-18 on Saturday. Sky Sport rugby commentator Tony Johnson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New screening measures have been launched ahead of the second cost of living payment. The next $116 payment is due out on Thursday. The Auditor-General says the payment should have been rolled out more carefully to stop ineligible people living overseas getting it again. 31,000 people won't get the second payment until they confirm they're in New Zealand. Finance Minister Grant Robertson told Heather du Plessis-Allan since the first payments there have been conversations with Inland Revenue around what can be done to make sure criteria is properly implemented. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the country's most well known philanthropists is packing his bags, and leaving for Australia. Sir Ray Avery is ditching New Zealand as he's says he's sick of the tall poppy syndrome, and claims the Government refused to listen to his ideas on how to make the country a better place. He says that's what tends to happen in New Zealand, people tend to break down people who stand up above the parapet, but in Australia they're held in much higher regard. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's following in the footsteps of Fred Hollows by moving to Australia where they're far more supportive of high achievers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest government move to try and bring down prices at the supermarket checkout has been announced. It will force Countdown and Foodstuffs to sell groceries to rival retailers at regulated prices - if they fail to supply them on the wholesale market "adequately." This rule change wasn't recommended by the commerce commission and questions have been asked as to whether it will actually make a difference. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US earning season is in its busiest week, with the likes of tech giants Microsoft, Apple and Amazon announcing results. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds says we're at a critical juncture and he joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch City Council has voted to release a controversial draft transport plan to public view. Councillor Aaron Keown and mayoral hopeful Phil Mauger led the bid for its release. It's against the wishes of staff, who feared public release would see its proposals for congestion charges and road tolls taken out of context. Draft developer, councillor Mike Davidson told Heather du Plessis-Allan he agrees it needed to see daylight. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no way of knowing how many New Zealand veterans may be fighting in Ukraine. Soldier Dominic Abelen was on leave without pay and not on active duty - when killed in a firefight trying to re-take an enemy trench. The 30-year-old had been fighting with Ukraine's International Legion in the east of the war-torn country. No Duff veteran's trust co-founder Aaron Wood told Heather du Plessis-Allan any soldier like Abelen asking the Defence Force permission to go and fight, will be told, no. He says if they're found out, they'll be in trouble upon their return. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trevor Mallard's replacement is now confirmed. Adrian Rurawhe is now in the Speaker's chair after what can only be described as tumultuous period under Mallard. Adrian Rurawhe joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss his plans for the role and how he will differ from his predecessor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I like the idea of letting another 4 million people into New Zealand in the next ten years, that doesn't scare me.  I know that's going to scare a lot of people, so let's talk about it. This is the suggestion from an economist called Dr Kirdan Lees who works for Sense Partners. Kirdan reckons that if New Zealand removed restrictions on immigration and aimed to rebuild the country like Australia and Canada are doing, we could add another 4 million people by 2032.  This would mean we'd be pushing 10 million people. What's the problem with that?  Critics will say we don't' have the houses. That's true. They'll say we don't' have the schools and teachers and the roads to carry that many people. That's true as well. But what's also true is that we will not be able to build those houses and schools and roads quickly, unless we get the immigrants in to do the work. So it's a chicken and egg situation.  You can't house the immigrants, but you can't build the houses without the immigrants. Here are two reasons we don't have a choice:   First; we have to take more people. Right now we have two vacancies for every unemployed person in this country. So even if we forced every one of them into work, we'd only fill half the jobs. There's only way to fill the vacancies; bring in people.  Secondly; we can't afford to run this country with only 5 million people.   Everything's going backwards, from health to crime to roading. We are almost the size of Japan in terms of geography, yet we're trying to pay for the necessary roading networks with five million people, compared to Japan's 125 million.  Ultimately, this is a question of whether we want to supercharge New Zealand or just grind down our economic growth. If bringing in 4 million people over the next ten years helps us make money and pay for things, I'm up for it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns the US is bungling its Monkeypox outbreak. It has 15,000 - and the disease is ripping through cities like San Francisco. 99 percent are in men who have sex with other men. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan health experts are worried not enough preparations are being made. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's largest home and community care provider is calling for an end to Covid vaccine mandates for health workers. NZ Health Group estimates about 800 unvaccinated staff want to return to work. CEO Josephine Gagan told Heather du Plessis-Allan the vaccine mandate has unfairly affected thousands of vulnerable Kiwis. “A support worker will visit four or five individual people a day, so multiply that across the whole week. It's a lot of people.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Gaurav Sharma is still hoping for an independent investigation. The MP for Hamilton East was expelled from Labour's caucus at a meeting on Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said as far as Labour's caucus is concerned, the Sharma saga is over. Sharma will now sit in Parliament as an independent MP. He is still a member of the wider Labour Party, although it is now very likely he will be expelled from that too. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's going strong and this is about getting fair treatment. "The message this sends is that if your boss is powerful enough, they can get away with anything and it's the wrong message to send from parliament to all the New Zealanders out there.” LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As workers return to offices after two years of lockdowns and restrictions, the trend of "quiet quitting" is sweeping through workplaces around the world. But what is it and why are workers doing it? Having gained significant traction on short-form video-sharing app TikTok, the idea of "quiet quitting" sees workers dialling back their efforts - typically extra or unpaid work - in a bid to get a better work-life balance. Jarrod Harr, AUT professor of Human Resource Management, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kaine Thompson and Tim Wilson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on The Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MP Gaurav Sharma says he hasn't got fair treatment from Labour since the saga started two weeks ago. Today the Labour caucus voted to expel him. Labour MP Megan Woods joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We all underestimated Gaurav Sharma, didn't we? This guy has nerve. He actually turned up to the caucus meeting where they expelled him today.  Can you imagine walking into a room full of people who are about to kick you out of the parliamentary party? Imagine how hard that must be.  But in he went and - according to him - eyeballed the lot of them and tried to explain his case to them and why they needed to investigate his allegations against the former whip Kieran McAnulty. Then after that - cool as a cucumber - he walked out and held a press conference.   As if he hasn't just been kicked out of his own parliamentary party by the lot of them, including the Prime Minister. This guy has also clearly got resilience. This won't have been easy for him.  While he's been attacking labour for 13 days, they've been attacking him back.  He's been under 13 days of sustained attack form the entire party: from the Prime Minister who's painted him as unstable and rolled her eyes on TV at him , from senior MPs like David Parker who called him ‘attention-seeking', from Labour party aligned commentators like Neale Jones who you might recall was on this show so angry at Sharma he used the word jerk at least twice.   You have to have a thick skin to put up with two weeks of reputation trashing from the Government, in all the mainstream media, sometimes as the lead story Most of us wouldn't be able to cope. We'd crack and go find a rock to hide under and regret having said anything.  And I bet you that's what Labour would've hoped he'd done.  But he hasn't, which is almost unreal  If Gaurav Sharma can last this long under sustained attack from the party in government I wouldn't' rule out that he'll keep this up from outside the party now.  There are a bunch of things he could yet do. He could yet provide the evidence he claims he has but hasn't yet provided.  If it exists, he could yet quit parliament altogether and force a by-election in Hamilton West, which is a seat Labour might not win, which would be really embarrassing for them.  He could also continue with his legal action against the party. I said at the start of this drama that he was naïve thinking he could take on Labour and the slick PR machine in the Prime Minister's office. I was wrong.   He took them on and he's done damage, if only by busting them at that secret meeting which proved their dishonesty.  And clearly Labour underestimated him too. I bet they never thought they'd still be reaping Sharma Karma from a backbencher no one had ever heard of 13 days ago. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

First Union isn't happy that the Government didn't talk to them before announcing it would allow skilled workers in on pay rates lower than the median wage. The Government yesterday announced they are allowing an extra 12,000 migrant workers to help businesses that were hardest hit by job shortages. First Union represents workers in three industries included in the agreement — construction, meat and seafood. First Union General Secretary Dennis Maga joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Government campaign launched today aims to turn the tide on low attendance rates. Associate Education Minister Jan Tinetti says attendance has been declining since 2015, but Covid messaging has exacerbated the problem. But Blue Light Attendance Services' National Operations Manager Brendon Crompton told Heather du Plessis-Allan there's more than just the pandemic at play. “We get a lot of kids who are not at school through social anxiety, through Facebook bullying, we've got families that need support probably with transport.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We've been asking on this show why there are now more potholes than ever. That led us to Geoff Upson - who is famous for spray painting penises around potholes he comes across on roads. And now he's running for Rodney Local Board. Geoff Upson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister clearly would've preferred not to talk Gaurav Sharma today. The caucus will meet tomorrow to discuss Sharma's future in the party in wake of more explosive accusations. However, Jacinda Ardern says there won't be an investigation as there is no basis to his claims. The Government have also announced that they have bought Kiwibank. They bought it off ACC, the Super Fund and NZ Post for $2.1 million today. The Government will allow some sectors to pay skilled migrant workers less than the median wage, in a bid to address workplace shortages across the country. It will also temporarily increase access to the Working Holiday Scheme to address the shortage of casual workers more generally.  Newstalk ZB Political Editor Barry Soper joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced the purchase of Kiwibank. It was owned by ACC, the Super Fund and NZ Post, before being purchased for $2.1 billion. Meanwhile, the bigger talking point for the Government was Gaurav Sharma. Jacinda Ardern says the Government won't be investigating the issue as she says no basis to his claims. And the Government will also allow some sectors to pay 12,000 migrant workers less than the median wage to address workplace shortages. It will also temporarily increase access to the Working Holiday Scheme to address the shortage of casual workers more generally.  Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.