Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Auckland Council has revealed it's latest plan for Western Springs including allowing space for concerts of up to 30,000 people, while still retaining the Ponsonby Rugby Club.  Councillors are set to make a final vote on the plan by the end of March.  Concert promoter Brent Eccles joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to chat about the plan.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to chat about the latest news out of the United States.  Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem has been sacked, and is set to be replaced by Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin at the end of the month.  Trump also wants to see changes in the Iranian government as he seeks to be involved in the appointment of the country's next leader. And, pop icon Britney Spears has been arrested in California for suspicion of driving under the influence. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taxpayers'-Union Curia poll revealed this morning that Christopher Luxon’s National Party has sunk to its lowest result in the poll since 2021. National is sitting on 28.4%, down 2.9 points from February’s poll. The result sparked conversation around whether Luxon should step down.  Luxon joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to defend his position and says he is 'absolutely not' stepping down.  LISTEN ABOVE OR WATCH BELOW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Queues are forming at petrol stations as concerns over increasing fuel prices brought on by the war in Iran. International oil prices have increased since the start of the war as traffic halts in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s crude oil is transported. Waitomo Group CEO Simon Parham joins Heather du Plessis-Allan to chat about the near-future of our gas prices.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK is preparing a British warship to protect a military base in Cyprus, but it's not expected to sail until next week, according to new reports. The HMS Dragon is being loaded with ammunition in Portsmouth, as defensive capabilities in Cyprus are set to increase amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.  UK correspondent Enda Brady has voiced concerns about what this means for the UK's military. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Punishing strikes continue across the Middle East as Iran retaliates to US-Israeli attacks - with Gulf states busy blocking incoming fire. Israel continues to pummel Tehran, and has launched fresh attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Iran has launched an attack on Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq. Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie revealed what this week's developments could mean for investors. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Federated Farmers Confidence Survey indicates more farmers are turning a profit, but there's still some industry concerns to consider. Of nearly 650 farmers who responded to the survey in late January and early February, 70 percent said their farm was currently profitable - the highest since the survey was launched.  The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and former Green MP Gareth Hughes joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Government is looking to possibly scrap the Clean Car Standard, and a review is under way. Do we think this is likely to go ahead? Trade Me is ditching their 'success fees' and bank transfers as part of a new overhaul. Do we think this is a good idea? Do we prefer Facebook Marketplace anyway? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 5 March, 2026, we ask Transport Minister Chris Bishop why the government's looking at scrapping the clean car standard altogether. A Gisborne farmer tells us why he's got a beef with changes to the rural school bus service. Black Cap Cole McConchie on what it was like having a front-row seat to Finn Allen's blistering century - the fastest-ever at a T20 World Cup. And on The Huddle with Jordan Williams and Gareth Hughes we hear how there could be more polling bad news for National. 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.

So the latest climate drama involving this Government is that they’re being accused of lining up to scrap the Clean Car Standards altogether. And I would say to the EV lobby group pushing this line that they may want to just settle down. Even those of us -and I’m looking straight at myself here - who want to see the standards dropped altogether do not think it’s going to happen. That would take political courage and I do not think this Government has that on a subject like this in an election year. Now, what I’m talking about, if you don’t follow all of the details, is the twin of the ute tax. This is the other part of that policy that was brought in at the same time. It’s a penalty that importers have to pay for every dirty car they bring into the country, in the hope that it will encourage them to instead go for the cleaner cars - the EVs. It was recently dropped right down at the end of the year and it’s now up for consultation. The Government is considering overhauling the system. One of the questions being asked in the consultation is whether it should just be abolished altogether. Now I’d love it to be because it hasn’t worked. Consumers simply do not want to buy that many EVs in this country. The only thing this standard has done is reduce the number of Japanese cars - which we love - coming into the country in the past five years, from 150,000 a year to 90,000 a year. That’s down 45 percent and apparently most of this, according to dealers, is because of the Clean Car Standard.And you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what that does to prices. If you’re bringing in so many fewer cars, what happens to prices? That’s right - they go up. And who pays that? That’s right - you and I. I don’t love that. The other thing it’s done is force 244 dealers - just last year - to shut down because they couldn’t get enough cars. So I’d love to see the standard scrapped. It’s only making our cars more expensive, it’s only putting people out of business, and as we know, it’s going to do nothing for the climate because New Zealand is insignificant in the scheme of global emissions. But it will not be scrapped because every other developed nation apart from Russia is applying standards like this, so we’ll be stuck playing the game too. “Should it be abolished?” is, I’m sorry to say, just a question to make the Government look like it’s considering everything - but it is not actually considering everything, and we’re probably stuck with this. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People will have to pay with cash after a Trade Me sale if they want to avoid a fee. The company's removing its 7.9 percent 'success fee' for casual selling - keeping only a small service fee. Along with Afterpay and cash, Trade Me uses its own payment system, Ping - taking just over two percent from every sale.  Trade Me’s Head of Marketplace Lisa Stewart says bank transfers will now be against their policy. "We've got teams of folks who scan the site to check that nothing dodgy is going on, if they catch that that kind of behaviour's happening, we'd look to educate our customers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps have been launched into the T20 World Cup final, and the Kiwi side's thrilled. New Zealand have thrashed previously unbeaten South Africa by nine wickets in the first semifinal, with Finn Allen smashing 100 not out from 33 balls. Black Caps player Cole McConchie says Allen gave a 'world-class' performance. "That was some innings, he had to put out a performance like that in a semi-final from him - that was incredibly special." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Minister for Transport says scrapping the Clean Car Standard's being considered.  The standard imposes fees on importers bringing high emitting vehicles into the country. A Transport Ministry-led review recently involved consultations with the vehicle industry, where they were asked for their thoughts on possible abolishment.  Chris Bishop says this type of review, by definition, must look at the need for something overall.  "It would be fair to say not that many people are keen on scrapping it altogether, we're going through a process with industry right now and we do want to see cleaner cars in New Zealand over time." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Young men are increasingly the focus of our security agencies - as they're captured by extremist content online.  That's according to the boss of the Security Intelligence Service, who fronted MPs at Parliament yesterday.  Massey University Senior Fellow at the Centre for Defence and Security Studies, John Battersby, says many of those being radicalised are isolated.  "I think we're probably talking about a fairly small minority of individuals who possibly don't feel they belong somewhere - a little bit detached from the real world. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's still unclear when our Defence Force will be able to evacuate New Zealanders out of war-afflicted areas in the Middle East. Kiwis there are being urged to alert SafeTravel, with 3000 already registered in the region. Defence Minister Judith Collins says our planes will leave in the coming days and will take people to safer nearby areas, when conditions allow. She says they're prepared to take thousands if necessary. "Well, if they wanted to go, we would simply have to make it happen, but we would obviously have to do it in relays."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Broadcasting minister Paul Goldsmith says he may have' grunted' at TVNZ's board chair after Andrew Barclay raised a crime story with him. Goldsmith was quizzed about the exchange by Labour's Reuben Davidson in Question Time on Thursday afternoon. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney joined his Australian counterpart to call for international co-operation following 'consecutive crises'.  Carney says Canada and Australia should work together as 'strategic cousins' and team up to boost  sovereign capabilities including in the areas of critical minerals, defence and AI. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Carney called for smaller nations, or 'middle powers' to lead the way in repairing 'what's left of the world order'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps have reaped the rewards of preparation at cricket's T20 World Cup, reaching their second final at the tournament. That came courtesy of the fastest century in the tournament's history. Finn Allen's 100 not out off 33 balls resulted after an opening stand of 117 in 9.1 overs with Tim Seifert, who also took 33 deliveries to make 58. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave recapped the action. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Concerns have been raised in Gisborne, where rural school bus routes have been altered or cut. Over 100 Gisborne students could be affected by these changes, and parents are calling for a new solution to be found. Gisborne farmer Toby Williams says parents in these rural areas won't be able to get their kids to school efficiently anymore.  "For me, that'd be a hour journey each way to get them there, it ruins the productivity on my farm to try and get my kids to the education they need." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Government is bolstering air defences and deploying  a Royal Navy warship to the eastern Mediterranean to improve security in Cyprus. This comes a day after runway of the British air base in Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri, was hit by a drone, prompting security concerns. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A record portion of new bank lending to first-home buyers is going to those with small deposits. More than half of the $1.1 billion lent to first-home buyers in January went to borrowers with deposits of less than 20 percent, according to the latest Reserve Bank figures. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been growing concerns about what the ongoing crisis in the Middle East could do for petrol prices. There's fears Kiwi motorists will soon pay the price at the pump over the escalating conflict, and retailers have been warned not to take advantage of the conflict.  Milford Asset Management expert Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Independent Children's Monitor says Oranga Tamariki still isn't measuring up to national care standards. The percent of young people in OT care suffering abuse has increased from 8 percent to 10 percent in the year to July last year.  The report says a third of those in care aren't seeing social workers enough and only 11 percent had been given an assessment of their life skills. Independent Children's Monitor CEO Arran Jones says it's important to ensure that children in state care are properly looked after - and this data isn't good reading. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's mayor's adamant he won't be drawing up housing maps and plans for the Minister just yet.  Housing Minister Chris Bishop's recently backed down on Auckland’s housing density plans, cutting the city’s theoretical capacity from two million homes to 1.6 million. He's asked Auckland Council to send an updated summary on provisional zoning changes by March 17. But mayor Wayne Brown says they won't invest millions on maps without more clarity, and they don't materialise at the press of a button.  LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday 4 March. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The man appointed today as the coach to take the All Blacks to next year's Rugby World Cup is Dave Rennie. And he's got his work cut out for him.  He can’t start fulltime with the All Blacks until June - he has to finish his contract in Japan first. That wraps up in May, which means there’s a very tight turnaround before the first test against the French in early July. Then he’s got the Italians, then the Irish, and then the South Africans. Baptism of fire, much? And in just over 18 months, he’ll be heading into the Rugby World Cup. Lifting that trophy is going to be a challenge but it’s not impossible. Rassie Erasmus famously took over in 2018 and won the Rugby World Cup with the Springboks the next year. And you could argue the Springboks back then were more of a hot mess than the All Blacks are now, ahead of Rennie taking over. It’s also worth remembering that coaching at international level isn’t new ground for Rennie. He was the Wallabies' coach before he was dumped for the disaster that was Eddie Jones. But if you look at his record with that squad, it’s not exactly inspiring. He had a 38 percent win rate, which makes Razor’s 74 percent win rate look positively outstanding. But if you’re being generous, you’d have to say Rennie had the odds stacked against him with the Wallabies -COVID disruptions, too many tests against the All Blacks, injuries, player unavailability. He still managed to beat South Africa twice, which is no small feat.  And neither of his successors - Eddie Jones nor Joe Schmidt - have done much better. Rennie’s appointment also brings a couple of firsts. The headline one is that he’s the first All Blacks coach of Pasifika descent. But the first I’m enjoying today is this: while it’s not unusual for ex-All Blacks coaches to take over the Wallabies, this is the first time the All Blacks have been taken over by a former Wallabies coach. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Dave Rennie has been confirmed as the new head coach of the All Blacks. What do we think of this? Do we think this was the right choice? US and Israeli forces have killed close to 800 people in Iran, struck about 2000 Iranian targets and destroyed 17 ships. Israel's also killed dozens in Lebanon, going head-to-head with Hezbollah, forcing thousands to flee their homes. Are we concerned by this development?  The Children's Commissioner says Oranga Tamariki needs to heed a critical report on the agency, after new research confirmed there's been little progress on National Care Standards. Do we think this is fair? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Dave Rennie era is upon the All Blacks, and the new head coach is determined to make some tactical shifts for the All Blacks ahead of their upcoming matches. The pressure's on for Rennie to make a difference, with 122 days to go until his first test against France in Christchurch. Former All Black and Sky Sport commentator, Jeff Wilson, says Rennie's contract lasts until the end of the men's Rugby World Cup in November 2027, which isn't long. "This is, as Dave Rennie himself said, a bit of a sprint. He obviously fitted the brief that they were looking for and I think he'll go in there and he'll be aggressive and try and make quick changes." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Australia's biggest radio shows has come to an explosive end after an infamous on-air spat. Kyle Sandilands and Jacqueline ‘Jackie O’ Henderson will no longer present the KIIS FM breakfast program together after Sandilands berated Henderson during a live broadcast last week.  TV producer and host of The Beefing podcast, Alexandria Funnell, is questioning why this particular incident ended the show. "The two are known for the biggest stunts in Australian radio history, aren't they? So this is a pretty clever one if it is, it's getting a lot of coverage, they're giving a lot of information about things that are going on behind the scenes."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Top-tier experience and a systematic approach to rugby have won Dave Rennie the All Blacks' head coach job. After nine years offshore, the former Chiefs mentor will return home - appointed Scott Robertson's successor. New Zealand Rugby chair David Kirk has outlined what ultimately gave Rennie the edge. "The game is very global at the moment, innovation's coming from lots of different parts of the world, and I think we've got, frankly, plenty to learn from the rest of the world. So he can bring that back to us." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing speculation as Labour appears to be mulling over their Reserve Bank policy ahead of the election.  The previous Labour Government changed the bank's remit, ordering it to focus on keeping inflation low - and ensuring maximum employment.  The current Government scrapped the changes. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan explained what Labour finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds could be considering.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An escalating war is shaking the entire Middle East, with no sign of easing. US and Israeli forces have bombed more than 2000 targets and killed close to 800 people in Iran, since first launching attacks on Saturday.  Iran's retaliated with drone attacks US infrastructure in surrounding Gulf States. The UK, France and Greece are strengthening capabilities around Cyprus, where a British air base was hit.  US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Donald Trump is expected more US casualties to come from the conflict. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has no doubt New Zealand can win next year's Rugby World Cup in Australia. The two-time Super Rugby-winning coach is taking over from Scott Robertson less than a year and a half before the showpiece tournament. Rennie says it will take a power of work and alignment in a short amount of time, but the All Blacks have the goods. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains why Rennie was picked. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The primary teachers union's asking the the Employment Relations Authority for urgent mediation as pay talks hit an impasse.  NZEI says it's not happy with the Ministry of Education's pay-rise offer, sitting between 2.1 and 2.5 percent - alongside the rising cost of living. Lead union negotiator Liam Rutherford says teachers also want recognition of the work adapting to widespread curriculum changes.  "We're hearing from teachers across the country that it isn't just the size of the change, it's also the speed in which the Minister of Education wants it done by." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's tension between the US and the UK, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticised Donald Trump and claimed the Government 'does not believe in regime change from the skies'. The US President also recently condemned the UK 'taking too long' to allow US forces to use its airbases to attack Iran. UK correspondent Enda Brady explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US-Iran conflict could affect New Zealand’s red meat exports to the Middle East, the Meat Industry Association says. Reports reveal New Zealand red meat exporters were closely monitoring the situation in the region, due to the disruption to the Strait of Hormuz. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson and former Auckland mayor Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Prime Minister Chris Luxon has copped some backlash over his non-committal response to the crisis in the Middle East. Who's to blame here? How bad does this look in an election year? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 3 February, 2026, we talk to a former CIA officer about the US war in Iran - and how the conflict is growing. The Children's Minister tells us why there'll be another boot camp for young offenders. A new take on cell-phones - we hear from an advocate of putting a phone in every prison cell. And on The Huddle, Phil Goff and Maurice Williamson battle it out over the fighting in the Middle East. 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.

All right, we need to talk about Chris Luxon and that performance yesterday. “Oh, I mean… we obviously understand… we’re not saying that… what we’re saying is… we… we… we understand this… I don’t know how to be any clearer, guys…” You know what’s going wrong here, eh? The Prime Minister doesn’t want to say what he actually thinks. He doesn’t want to take a position on the air strikes on Iran. If he says he supports the strikes, he risks copping it from what may be a majority - but almost certainly is a very vocal minority - of New Zealanders who don’t like anything the US does militarily. If he says he opposes the strikes, then he risks creating an international headline like 'New Zealand criticises US air strikes' and getting this country offside with the most volatile US president in modern history - and whatever comes with that. So either way, he’s in a tough position. A generous interpretation is that he’s trying to protect New Zealand from Trump. A less generous interpretation is that he’s trying to protect himself from unhappy voters. The problem is that, as always, Chris Luxon trying to avoid taking a position ends the way it always does: he looks clumsy and uncertain. He makes mistakes - like saying he supports anything the US may do to prevent nuclear weapons, including carpet bombing - which he’s now had to walk back today. And Luxon’s been here before, hasn’t he? Remember the three-minute interview with Mike Hosking where he wouldn’t take a position on whether he would have sacked Andrew Bayly? I’d say that in trying to avoid choosing between supporting or not supporting the air strikes, he created a third position altogether - making himself look foolish. And for a leader in an election year, that is the worst choice possible. It is better - even if the position is unpopular - to pick one, than to look like he does today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Propopoly is a startup that aims to give everyday New Zealanders a chance to enjoy the benefits of being a property developer. The business allows people to buy shares in a property development and get a payout when those properties are sold. Founder Dehardt van der Merwe explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted the plans of many travellers, who may be in for more bad luck by insurers. Much of the region’s airspace has been shut after the US and Israeli attack on Iran and its retaliatory strikes in the region - and travel insurance companies have invoked the war clause in their policies. Consumer NZ CEO Jon Duffy says it's important for Kiwi travellers to check their policies, as there could be a way through this.  "Insurance policies do cover cancellations if it's due to an airspace closure...but because it's hostilities and military action - typically, cover is excluded." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's considering raising phone call entitlements for prisoners, amid a push from a petition and the Ombudsman. The law says prisoners are entitled to just five minutes on the phone each week. Former head of the Wellington Howard League for Penal Reform, Christine McCarthy, petitioned Parliament to change the rules - saying current technology would make restrictions easy to enforce.  "We have increasingly wonderful technology - so you have to remember the context that prisoners have to apply every telephone number that they're going to ring, that has to be approved. And when you have electronic systems, you can know...the way you can monitor stuff, the way you can access and record things is just way ahead." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GrabOne is getting a second life under brand new owners.  Wellington's Paradigm Group has bought the GrabOne brand and assets. It went into liquidation last October, leaving many consumers with vouchers they couldn't use.  The new boss Paul Raeburn says they're bringing back half a dozen key GrabOne employees. He says they're energised to get the platform back to what it was.  "I stopped looking at GrabOne probably five or six years ago, because there wasn't anything I wanted to do there. We've got some real heat today - Cordis Hotels, Flamingo scooters, Holy Moly, all of those staples." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children's Minister says another boot-camp for young offenders is about to start, because of promising results from the first one. Newstalk ZB understands the programme is starting in Palmerston North on Monday for 10 young offenders. They'll spend more time in the residential facility than in the pilot, and this iteration's getting more input from local iwi. Karen Chhour says the first camp saw helped drive change for those young people. "We can't just keep having a revolving door policy and allowing them to just keep coming in and out without actually supporting them once they return to the community." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and Israel's accelerating battering of Iran is wreaking havoc in the Middle East. More than 1200 Iranian targets have been bombed, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is warning harder strikes are yet to come. Iran's responded with attacks targeting US assets in surrounding states, including the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia.  It's also blocking the Strait of Hormuz - an important oil shipping route.  Former CIA intelligence officer Glenn Carle says blowing up the air defence systems is one thing, but without US forces on the ground, there will still be armed revolutionary guards.  "What do the United States and Israel do, to force whoever's holding the guns out, or to do what the United States wants?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has copped some backlash over his stance on the US and Israel attacking Iran.  Chris Luxon strongly condemned the Iranian regime's retaliatory strikes. He also acknowledged the US claim Iran was developing weapons that could threaten overseas nations.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Luxon's faced a lot of scrutiny from MFAT over this matter.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The conflict in the Middle East continues to rage on, and there's concerns about what it could mean for the Australian economy. The US and Israel have struck more than 1200 Iranian targets, with plans to ramp up the bombardment in coming hours, and Iran has launched more strikes and choked oil tanker transit through the Strait of Hormuz. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says RBA governor Michele Bullock says it's too early to know the impacts, but economists have warned this could see petrol prices rising by 40 cents a litre.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another chief executive of a national sports organisation is leaving their post. New Zealand Rugby League boss Greg Peters is standing down after eight years in the job. The NZRL have launched their search for a replacement and Peters will support the board in a transitional capacity. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows the cost of private school isn't a deterrent to Kiwi parents. A report by the Ministry of Education shows that private, or independent, schools are growing at a much faster rate overall than their public school counterparts. Independent Schools of New Zealand CEO Guy Pascoe says there's a wide range of reasons why parents could be making this choice. "Small class sizes, it could be specific curriculum, pedagogies, high academic results - the schools we represent range in size from about 15 students as our smaller school to about two and a half thousand."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Turmoil in the Middle East as countries are drawn into the US and Israel's aggression against Iran, aiming to obliterate its nuclear programme and topple its regime. Tehran has vowed to avenge the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other officials, and has launched region-wide retaliation. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's granted the US permission to use their military bases - as in Britain's best interests. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says criticisms have been made over this move, with many accusing the Government of 'flip-flopping'.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.