Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station have been told they will be stuck in space indefinitely.  Test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams travelled up to the orbiting lab in Boeing’s space capsule seven weeks ago, and were meant to spend a week there.  The delay in their return is due to ongoing repairs on the capsule.  Stardome astronomer Josh Aoraki joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Kardashians season finale that aired last night featured some New Zealand research. Kim Kardashian, as well as her sister, mother and brother-in-law, all took a test that determined their real biological age, with Kardashian coming in 10 years younger than what she thought she was. The science behind the test is an algorithm developed by scientists of the Dunedin Study. The Dunedin Study director Dr Moana Theodore joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future of policing is in question as Andrew Coster's tenure as Police Commissioner comes to a close. Police say Coster's time in the job will end April next year. Crime Prevention Group President Sunny Kaushal told Heather Du Plessis-Allan he's hoping for a commissioner with a new approach. He says all crime must be taken seriously and properly investigated - no matter how small. “Police must attend every burglary. That sends a message that the Police have their back and burglars won’t get away with it.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Team New Zealand is preparing for tomorrow's unique Olympic opening ceremony. Instead of the usual walk round the track the Paris games will buck the trend by having athletes boating down the Seine. Lady Gaga and Celine Dion are set to perform a duet at the opening ceremony. New Zealand Team Chef de Mission Nigel Avery told Heather du Plessis-Allan despite the change in tradition, they're not worried about safety. “The French are just going out of their way to make sure that the athletes are safe in all respects, and I’ve got confidence in that.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders seem to be eyeing the upcoming US election with apprehension. New polling from Talbot Mills shows about 75 percent of New Zealanders are concerned about the prospect of a second Donald Trump presidency. Half of respondents say they are either extremely concerned - or very concerned. Political editor Jason Walls told Heather du Plessis-Allan the survey unfortunately does not ask the question as to why people are so worried. “In the past, people have talked about Donald Trump’s rhetoric, and tangibly, the biggest thing that New Zealanders would have to be worried about is increased trade tariffs to the United States.” LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Vice-President Kamala Harris has pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to help reach a Gaza ceasefire deal that would ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians, striking a tougher tone than President Joe Biden. “It is time for this war to end,” Harris said in a televised statement after she held face-to-face talks with Netanyahu. Harris, the likely Democratic presidential nominee after Biden dropped out of the election race on Monday, did not mince words about the humanitarian crisis gripping Gaza after nine months of war between Israel and Hamas militants. “We cannot allow ourselves to be numb to the suffering and I will not be silent,” she said. Harris’ remarks were sharp and serious in tone and raised the question of whether she would be more aggressive in dealing with Netanyahu if elected president on November 5. But analysts do not expect there would be a major shift in US policy toward Israel, Washington’s closest ally in the Middle East. The conflict began on October 7 when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel from Gaza, killing 1200 people and taking more than 250 captives, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s retaliatory attack in Gaza has killed more than 39,000 people and caused a humanitarian calamity with most of the coastal enclave levelled, people displaced from their homes, famine and a shortage of emergency relief. Biden met with Netanyahu earlier and told him that he needed to close gaps to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and remove obstacles in the flow of aid, according to a readout of the meeting provided by the White House. Netanyahu will meet Harris’ Republican rival, Donald Trump, at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. A ceasefire has been the subject of negotiations for months. US officials believe the parties are closer than ever to an agreement for a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release by Hamas of women, sick, elderly and wounded hostages. “There has been hopeful movement in the talks to secure an agreement on this deal, and as I just told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done,” Harris said. Although as Vice-President she has mostly echoed Biden in firmly backing Israel’s right to defend itself, she made clear today that she was losing patience with Israel’s military approach. “Israel has a right to defend itself. And how it does so matters,” Harris said. In March, she bluntly stated that Israel was not doing enough to ease a “humanitarian catastrophe” during its ground offensive in the Palestinian enclave. Later, she did not rule out “consequences” for Israel if it launched a full-scale invasion of refugee-packed Rafah in southern Gaza. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canadian women’s football coach Beverly Priestman has been sent home from the Olympics in wake of the side’s 2-1 win over the Football Ferns. It comes after the Canadians were caught using drones to spy on the Ferns’ training sessions, but Canada Soccer has revealed their use of drones goes well before Paris. Meanwhile, the All Blacks Sevens team's chance for Olympic Gold has been dashed after losing 14-7 to South Africa in the quarterfinals. Sportstalk host D’Arcy Waldegrave joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Water's Chair says the board's committed to improving the organisation in the wake of a scathing review. The report looked into a $51 million blunder which saw the agency tell councils they needed less funding than they actually did. It found a lack of leadership in the agency and issues with its organisational culture. Nick Leggett told Heather du Plessis Allan there's lessons to be learned. “We’ve got to improve the culture, we’ve got to elevate problems as they come up and be upfront and frank about them, and we’ve got to improve our systems – particularly in the finance part of the business.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So Andrew Coster has revealed he will not be seeking a second term as Police Commissioner. Which will upset...almost no one. I think most of us will be happy to see the back of him. Because while he does seem like a decent and smart guy, he has been rubbish at the job. This will be good for Police morale, I think, because they have been quite vocal about the fact that they have been unhappy being led by a man who doesn’t seem to actually want to chase down the bad guys quite as much as they do. And it will be good for public confidence too because I think we would also prefer a Police boss who wants to lock up the perpetrators of this current crime problem we’re experiencing. Now to be fair to Andrew Coster, the fact that he’s not seeking a second term isn't really that unusual in Police bosses - we haven’t had one go longer than six years since the 1940s. But the trouble for him is that we all know at least part of the reason he’s going is because he isn’t wanted. I mean, that was made abundantly clear when after the election, the new Police Minister wouldn't express confidence in Coster. It was even more obvious when Mark Mitchell published that letter telling Coster how to do his job. Even if he wanted the job, he would've already been told by now behind closed doors that that ain’t happening. To Coster's credit, he has lifted his game under the new Government, but it's never been convincing. Everything just happens too slow. I mean, the foot patrols in Auckland are great, but Auckland retailers had to beg for months and hold public meetings to get them. The crackdown on the boy racers was great, but first, we had to witness officers in Levin retreating from a mob of boy racers. It just never felt like being discipline daddy was in his nature, even when he tried. So probably we’ve just got the best outcome for everyone by Coster and the New Zealand Police Force consciously uncoupling in April next year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A group of 10 Just Stop Oil activists have been arrested at Heathrow Airport on suspicion of attempting to interfere with operations. The group were quickly detained and taken into custody after members had hinted they were planning an 'uprising'. UK correspondent Vincent McAviney says the group may have been planning to glue themselves to the tarmac to directly stop flights from departing one of the world's busiest airports. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's outrage from New Zealand's rural community over Otago Regional Council's lack of transparency. The council has refused to unveil the latest draft of their Land and Water Plan, despite calls from Federated Farmers to release it. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's share market is taking a turn for the better. New data indicates the NZX 50 has gone up by almost 6 percent in the past month - and economists are feeling optimistic about this reporting season. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains this change in direction. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 25 July 2024, survivors of abuse in care are now looking to police to prosecute those who have been involved in abusing kids and young people over decades. Canadian journalist Sarah Leavitt speaks to Heather from the Olympics after Canada's spying scandal against New Zealand just got even worse. Former top Democrat Howard Dean tells Heather why he thinks Joe Biden's Oval Office address hit the right tone - and what Kamala Harris needs to do to beat Donald Trump. Plus 1 in 5 young people have hearing issues. The Huddle debates whether we need to all turn down the volume on our headphones a bit. 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, journalist Clare de Lore and Radio Hauraki's Matt Heath joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Canada has copped backlash from all over the world after it was revealed they were spying on two separate Football Ferns training sessions ahead of the Olympics. Should the team get punished? There's growing calls to compensate victims following the Royal Commission of Inquiry's findings on abuse in state and faith-based care. Is this the way to go? Republican politicians have labelled Kamala Harris a 'diversity hire' in their efforts to tear down the Democratic Party. Is this seriously a political strategy? New research has revealed more and more young people suffer from preventable hearing loss. How can we intervene early? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Biden stepped up to protect his administration's legacy in today's Oval Office address. The US President has explained why he stepped out of the race and endorsed Kamala Harris for President this week. He'd remained staunch against withdrawing for three weeks despite vast pressure and concern from those close to him about his ability to serve another term. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean says it's 'incredibly painful' to recognise the dream is over when you're as far along as he was. "I think he's a guy of tremendous accomplishments. Is he a guy of tremendous ambition? Sure, but it's pretty easy to forgive that when you're the President of the United States." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand and Australia will go their own way when it comes to infant formula regulation. Ministers of both nations met today to discuss a controversial food-safety proposal which would impact product labels and sales. It's understood Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard sought a review over the proposal - but failed. Infant Nutrition Council CEO Jonathan Chew says Australia has accepted the proposal as-is. "New Zealand will exercise its right to seek its own modifications for the standards relating to the labelling issue - and possibly the restriction of sales." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's calls for more transparency from Otago Regional Council about the impacts and costs of new freshwater rules. Federated Farmers Otago has written to councillors, district Mayors, and ministers demanding the latest draft of the council's Land and Water Plan be made public. President Luke Kane says a secretive consultation process has left the community in the dark. "We understand that some of the district councils are really concerned with these rules - obviously, everybody is in a financial pinch at the moment, especially councils deciding how and where to spend their money." Otago regional council says it believes it's had an open process, with meetings across Otago. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing concerns youth hearing loss could be at an all-time high. Globally, one in five young people have been diagnosed with hearing issues - and the WHO has predicted over one billion young adults risk permanent avoidable hearing loss. National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing CEO Natasha Gallardo says the problem stems from prolonged use of loud headphones and personal devices. "It's mainly whether or not that tinnitus is ongoing - and really, what are your listening habits? Are they contributing to that tinnitus and the potential for that to become permanent?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing calls for disciplinary action against Canada following new developments in their spying scandal. FIFA confirmed proceedings have been opened after support staff were caught flying a drone over two Football Ferns training sessions ahead of tomorrow's match in St Etienne. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reporter Sarah Leavitt says this has brought shame to Canadian football fans ahead of the match. "Lots of people are worried and wondering why this even happened in the first place." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Survivors want police action following yesterday's damning abuse in care report. The Royal Commission of Inquiry estimates about 200,000 people were neglected and abused in state and faith based institutions between 1950 and 2019. The Commission's made 138 recommendations - including redress, removing care from state hands, and police investigation. Abuse survivor Jim Goodwin says there are several reasons police didn't act back then. "In the early days, the cops weren't resourced to do it, they didn't know how to interview people for sexual offending, they didn't know how to interview survivors - they're much better at it now - and survivors didn't come forward." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Green Party has hit back at the Government's pilot program launching their proposed youth boot camps. A Royal Commission report found evidence of harrowing abuse and neglect in state and faith-based institutions between 1950 and 2019. That includes youth boot camps - a programme the Government is reviving in a pilot next week. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Prime Minister Luxon has pushed back against the Green Party's comparisons. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand has started their Olympic campaign off strong, with the men's football side landing a win over Guinea. The Oly Whites beat their opposition 2-1 in Nice this morning. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the victory. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's education spokesperson says regulation is needed to ensure children are safe in early childhood education. Opposition parties have joined forces to stop what they fear will be dangerous changes. The Government has launched a sector review, saying it plans to remove regulations deemed 'unnecessary'. Jan Tinetti says the review's been rushed, and some in the industry feel they haven't been listened to. "And it's really important to hear all of the voices here, or else it is going to be dangerous. We are going to put our kids in a really unsafe position - and also our teachers in an unsafe position." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On first blush, that punishment that New Zealand is asking for in relation to Canada's drone spying might seem harsh - but it’s not. I think it is exactly what needs to happen. The Canadian football team should be forced to forfeit any points they earn if they win the match against the Football Ferns tomorrow morning. Which they probably will, because they are the defending Olympic champions and our team are ranked 28th in the world. Why I think this needs to happen is to stop them - or anyone else - but predominantly them from doing this kind of thing again. Because as I predicted yesterday, this wasn't a one off. Turns out they spied twice with a drone - both this time, and also three days before. And let's be honest, if they're prepared to do this to a team ranked 28th in the world, it doesn't take a massive leap of logic to assume they’d be prepared to do it to a team ranked much higher who will pose an actual threat to them on the field. So this is not really about punishing them for spying on the Football Ferns - although there is a tiny element of justice there - it’s really about getting them and and others to suffer sufficiently to cut out this kind of nonsense. Because if you don't punish them properly, they'll just keep doing it, because the incentive to do it remains. It's also actually in the best interests of the Olympics and FIFA to be seen taking a hard line on cheats. For the Olympics - they’ve got a problem convincing audiences that the Games are clean and fair when the Russians are back despite an industrial doping effort by the state. They've just rocked up under a different flag. FIFA has a massive problem convincing anyone they’re not corrupt. The Canadians have been caught red-handed here. The guy running the drone has been given a suspended jail sentence by the French justice system, there's no question that they were cheating. The only question is whether the Olympics and FIFA will punish them properly or not. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paris is about to see the biggest military deployment on its shores since World War II. Over 40,000 personnel have been sent over to monitor the Paris Olympics to ensure nothing goes wrong over the two-week timeframe. UK correspondent Kay Oliver says there's concern surrounding terrorism, cyber attack and foreign threats. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts have revealed how the market reacted to the proposed takeover of the Warehouse. An Australian private equity firm has made a formal takeover offer to The Warehouse Group - which would give founder Sir Stephen Tindall greater control. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains how this played out on the NZX. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legal experts and advocates have welcomed the Royal Commission's inquiry into the extent of abuse that occurred at care facilities. The long-awaited report of the Abuse in Care Royal Commission, six years in the making, has been released this afternoon. Cooper Legal Principal Partner Sonja Cooper says there were a lot of promises made after the release of this report - and she's hopeful that something concrete will come out of this. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has dropped further hints it isn’t opposed to diluting its 100% ownership of Kiwibank to enable it to grow. While Kiwibank is expanding, it needs a lot more capital to be the disrupter it was set up to be to challenge the big four Australian-owned banks. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny speculates about the Government's next steps. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The final report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic abuse and neglect of New Zealanders in state and faith institutions has been branded it a national disgrace. It found children, young people and adults were exposed to extreme physical, emotional and sexual abuse, severe exploitation and neglect. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Prime Minister Luxon has made a statement to survivors. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 24 July 2024, the Royal Commission's report into abuse in care estimates 200,000 Kiwi kids, young people and adults were abused in care between 1950 and 2019. Minister Erica Stanford says the Government is committed to make things right and put in place a redress system. ACT says Health NZ staff shouldn't waste time saying a karakia - or Maori prayer - but is the party willing to ditch the Christian prayer in Parliament? Scandal at the Olympics already - Canada has been caught spying on the NZ Football Ferns team. The Huddle debates what to do to stop abuse in state care - and Paddy Gower gets himself into trouble with Heather. 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, journalist Paddy Gower and David Farrar from Kiwiblog joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! A harrowing report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historic abuse and neglect of New Zealanders in state and faith institutions has been branded a 'national disgrace'. What do we make of this? A new report has revealed Health NZ is encouraging staff to incorporate Karakia - or prayer - into their work. Does this need to go? Trump's VP JD Vance has been taking digs at Kamala Harris over her lack of biological children. Is this a serious political strategy? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new investigation has revealed Hawke's Bay Regional Council's flood protection infrastructure is not fit for purpose. An independent review's found there was a lack of Regional Council planning and preparedness for a flood that breached stopbanks, like in Cyclone Gabrielle. Risk was underestimated in some areas, and historic large floods were not considered. Wairoa mayor Craig Little says this is very worrying. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT Party wants Health NZ to stop encouraging staff to incorporate a Karakia - or prayer - into their daily routine. A leaked email revealed the organisation wants staff to include more prayers into their work - and included instructional videos. ACT health spokesperson Todd Stephenson has labelled this a 'distraction'. "We want a culturally and religiously neutral public service... and we believe that these prayers or rituals are actually a distraction from what the public service should be doing." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One former Football Fern is perplexed with Canada amid their attempts to spy on the team. New Zealand has made a formal complaint to the IOC after Canada was caught using a drone to keep tabs on a Football Ferns training session. Maia Jackman says they need to be held accountable for this. "That's pretty bad. That's not what the Olympics are about." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data indicates the financial pressures are easing on renters. Rental prices have decreased for the first time since 2022, according to Trade Me’s Rental Price Index for June 2024. CoreLogic chief property economist Kelvin Davidson says this is a sign the rental market has shifted in favour of tenants. "There's a bit less demand out there and a bit more supply - so we have seen rents slow. They may not necessarily fall over the longer term, but I'd say they've flattened out." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Survivors of harrowing abuse in New Zealand's care system have gathered in Parliament for the tabling of a report on their experiences. A Royal Commission of Inquiry has found about 200,000 people suffered in state and faith based institutions from 1950 to 2019. It recommends urgent redress, payment to whanau of survivors to recognise generational harm - and police investigation of the claims. The Prime Minister has confirmed its recommendations will be considered in coming months, and a formal apology will be made in November. Minister-in-charge Erica Stanford says stark accounts from the inquiry are mirrored in reports still heard today. "The young people in Oranga Tamariki care who are being encouraged to fight have been filmed by the staff - and the staff are untrained." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kamala Harris has the edge over Donald Trump in a new nationwide poll. The Reuters / Ipsos poll puts Harris on 44 percent and Trump on 42. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says it's interesting the Republican National Convention didn't give Trump a bigger boost. He says what's most impressive is the record-breaking $81 million (USD) raised in donations in Harris's first 24 hours of campaigning. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Football Ferns have been hit by a spying scandal ahead of the Paris Olympics. Ahead of Friday morning's match against Canada, a member of support staff for the Canadian team was caught flying a drone over a New Zealand training session. The NZOC has lodged a complaint - with Canada allegedly issuing an apology and starting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen, I agree with the ACT Party that Health NZ needs to drop this nonsense of encouraging staff to incorporate a prayer into their daily routine.What is this? Are we living in the 6th century with the height of Christianity? This is very unmodern.Now, the reason we know about this is because the ACT Party's been leaked an email that was sent to staff that says: "We encourage everyone to incorporate Karakia daily. To help support you with this, we have created some pre-recorded videos to learn Karakia."Now, we don't know which staff are being encouraged, but let’s assume it's for everyone, because that's generally how organisations work when they roll something like this out - they roll it out to absolutely everyone.So let’s assume that this also involves doctors and nurses and surgeons and anaesthetists and so on. You been a hospital lately? Those people are run off their feet, they are so busy patients often have to wait half an hour - sometimes an hour - for a nurse to respond to something that they need. You want a doctor to answer basic questions? You have to get them on their 8am round and if you don't - good luck to you.Do we really think that people who are madly understaffed, who are run off their feet, who are having such a difficult time at work also have time to stop and say a prayer?Come on, Health NZ, have some priorities.What's more is that this is completely inappropriate in the modern world to force religion on anyone in a workplace. And that is what this is. You can call it a Karakia to make it sound cool and fashionable and culturally aware, but it’s a prayer. And a prayer is a religious act. And I say that as someone who identifies broadly as Christian, not cool.This is fundamentally one of the biggest problems with the public service. Across many departments, they have allowed themselves to get distracted by stuff like this, which is not their core job. They need to act more like the private sector and just do the work - and forget everything else And then, maybe they’ll actually be good at their job. You never know.Now, it is worth saying - if you object to this, you have to be logically consistent and also object to the prayer at the start of Parliament. Because that is, frankly, forcing religion on people and wasting time. I object to that as well, scrap them both.But scrap the Health NZ prayer first, because that is wasting the time of people whose jobs are literally to save lives. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is being urged to give up responsibility for care and protection, youth justice and disability services. A nearly six-year Royal Commission of Inquiry final report on the abuse and neglect of children, young people and vulnerable adults in state and faith-based care has been released today. It makes 138 recommendations, including calling for apologies from the church and state and police investigation of historic and current allegations. ZB political reporter Demelza Jackson says the findings have been labelled a 'national disgrace'. "The immediate call, from what I'm reading, is for the Government to put in place that redress system for survivors - these conversations about payouts and apologies have gone on for so long." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One far-left French MP has attracted controversy after saying Israeli athletes were not welcome to the upcoming Olympics. With less than a week to go until the Games kick off, France Unbowed's Thomas Portes called for people to protest the appearance of Israeli athletes. UK correspondent Vincent McAviney says this has drawn in negative reactions from all sides. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Waikato-based sheep milk company has managed to gain brand registration for its infant milk formula in China. Spring Sheep will be able to directly import and distribute infant formula to China - and increase export volumes long-term. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains the significance of this deal. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert has voiced approval with the Commerce Commission's plan to regulate PayWave and online credit card fees. The watchdog says capped fees could save Kiwis $250 million dollars, from the $1 billion a year they spend in-store and online. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says these changes are neceesary. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home ownership rates have dropped below 60 percent, and data indicates this figure could get lower. New research commissioned by Westpac says home ownership figures will fall as low as 50 percent by 2050. The bank has since pledged to lend $1 billion over the next three years to fund affordable housing. CEO Catherine McGrath says it's critical to ensure home ownership becomes available to more New Zealanders. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 23 July 2024, Commerce Commission chair John Small tells Heather why he wants to crack down on PayWave and credit card fees. Former Green MP Darleen Tana is back in Parliament - what's she saying about why she's decided to stay? Orana Park board member Ken Hughey defends the park's track on animal welfare. Plus the Huddle debates whether Chris Luxon is making a mistake by stopping some media interviews. 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, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Commerce Commission is making moves to regulate PayWave fees and online card payments to ensure Kiwis don't get ripped off. Do we agree with this? How do we feel about PayWave? Darleen Tana has made her first appearance in Parliament following the investigation of her knowledge of alleged migrant exploitation at her husband's business. Why is she still hanging on? Do we think the Greens will resort to waka-jumping laws? Prime Minister Chris Luxon is under fire following his decision to cut one of his regular media opportunities on Tuesdays going forward. Has Luxon made the right call? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Details surrounding the Warehouse takeover offer have been revealed. Australian private equity firm Adamantem Capital Management has offered to buy the business for $1.50 to $1.70 a share, valuing it at a total of $590 million. Greg Smith from Devon Funds Management has labelled this move 'opportunistic' as the retail sector struggles. "They haven't even got a CEO - it does seem to be quite opportunistic, particularly if you've got a ray of light for the retail sector if we do get that rate cut from RBNZ." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Orana Wildlife Park says it told MPI about all its animal deaths, after claims of poor welfare standards. More than 20 current and former staff have detailed multiple animal deaths to 1News, some which went unreported. MPI is doing a rapid assessment of the zoo's conditions - due back tomorrow - but say it wasn't told about any deaths. Board member Ken Hughey says all deaths were notified, and they've taken measures since. "Those sort of deaths, often with the benefit of hindsight, may be preventable. We absolutely accept that, and we learn as we go - we are a learning-based organisation." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders are being called to reclaim the official world record for the largest haka. It's currently held by 4028 men and women who performed it in France 10 years ago. The fundraising event for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre aims to draw 10,000 people to Eden Park in September. Centre co-founder and event cultural ambassador, Hinewehi Mohi, says anyone can participate. She says they'll be providing instructional videos and doing practices beforehand so people can feel prepared. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you might have heard earlier, the Prime Minister is copping a bit of flak because he’s going to cut one of his regular media opportunities on Tuesdays from here on in.It's been a convention for years now that the Prime Minister stops on the way to Parliament’s Question Time on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday if he's there and he'll let the Press Gallery ask him questions. That's now going to stop on Tuesday.Now, the Press Gallery are trying to convince him to change his mind and they've gone public with it - and I suspect that's probably to put a bit of pressure on him.But I think they're going to struggle to get any sympathy on this, and I'll tell you why. Let me run you through his media appearances on weeks when Parliament is sitting: Monday afternoon at 4pm, he's at the Post-Cabinet press conference letting the Gallery ask him questions. Tuesday morning from 7am, he does a round of media interviews with Mike Hosking and other breakfast programmes across radio and TV. Later on Tuesday morning, he stops on his way into the caucus meeting to let the Press Gallery ask him questions. On Tuesday afternoon just before 2pm, he stops again. Wednesday afternoon, he stops on his way into the House to speak to the Press Gallery. And on the rare occasion he's in on a Thursday, he stops for the Press Gallery again. Plus, he's there for any other press conference that he might call during the week to announce some Government initiative. That's a lot of media to be doing across a week. It's a lot more than you get from other world leaders. Just look at Biden, his press conferences are fronted by his spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.This is very different to Jacinda Ardern dropping her media interviews, because the kind of interviews she dropped were the hard ones. You know, the ones with Mike Hosking - arguably the best interviewer in the country - or with Q+A and Newshub Nation which were long format interviews, which means they get difficult. Or, as you might recall, refusing to take talkback calls because that’s awkward and unpredictable and uncomfortable. That's different to just seeing the Press Gallery one fewer time in the space of 72 hours.What is it that the Press Gallery wants to ask on a Tuesday afternoon that they couldn't have asked on a Tuesday morning or a Wednesday afternoon? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.