Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

New data from Consumer NZ reveals insurance costs have soared over the last two decades, and there's concerns less households could access it going forward. The report notes the cost of insurance has gone up 916 percent since 2000 - ahead of the increase in the price of cigarettes and tobacco, which went up 608 percent. Insurance Council Chief Executive Kris Faafoi says there's been many high-profile disasters over that timeframe, which have helped drive up premiums. "Inflation affects us too - when it costs more for building costs, then rebuilding a house ends up being more expensive." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Māori All Black Shane Christie has died in Nelson, aged 39. Friends of Christie have told NZME it was believed his death was self-inflicted and came after a period during which concern over his wellbeing had increased. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave paid tribute. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has voiced strong disapproval with Labour's migration strategy, and he's set to unveil his own solution. Farage will outline his party's plans to tackle small boats crossings, and he's already pledged to detain and deport people coming into the UK illegally. UK correspondent Enda Brady speculates ahead of the announcement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank's move to review banking capital rules has been welcomed by Federated Farmers. Banking spokesperson Mark Hooper says the stricter rules make it difficult for farmers to borrow money - and these changes will make things fairer. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to new reports, overseas interest in NZ-based companies is at a record high. A new survey by Simpson Grierson says 49 percent of international respondents considering moving more money into New Zealand, compared with 40 percent last year. Salt Funds managing director Matt Goodson explains what's driving this change. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, CTU economist Craig Renney and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! More than a hundred students at Lincoln University are being re-tested after suspicions they used AI to cheat. Is this the right move from the university?  Are we in favour of 4-year parliamentary terms? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 26 August 2025, we're one step closer to a referendum on four year terms. But do we have the right safeguards in place to protect us from rogue Governments and bad decisions? Australia's Channel Nine Chief Political Editor Charles Croucher has the latest on news that Iran has been accused of orchestrating antisemitic attacks in Australia. Fonterra's consumer arm, Pic's Peanut Butter, now Eventfinda - foreign investors are lapping up Kiwi businesses. What's making us so attractive to overseas buyers? Lincoln University's Chad Hewitt explains why they're making a whole class defend their assignments because many of them are suspected of cheating with the use of AI. Plus, the Huddle debates four year terms and whether Universities need to change their approach on AI in exams. 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.

I think it is significant that David Seymour has walked away from supporting his own bill to bring in four-year terms for the Government. He was the one who introduced this bill - but he's now pulled ACT's support. Every other party in parliament appears to still back it, but he's pulled support because the safeguards that he wanted are gone. His idea was that we increase the terms from three to four years. So you vote the Government and you get three years - and now he wants to make it four years, which basically means giving the Government more power. But he was only okay with that if we balanced it out by taking away some power. And his idea was to allow the opposition parties to control every single select committee, giving them the power. But that part of the plan, the select committee part, has been removed. So David Seymour doesn't support his own idea anymore, which frankly, I think is a good idea, because he has ended up exactly where I have been this entire time. No to four-year terms unless there are new limits, because as it is, Governments in this country do not have much in the way of limits. If they want to pass a law, they can - they can do it under urgency if they want to. They can announce and pass it in literally the same day. That is what happened with the pay equity law. Did you like that? You want some more of that? Because that would happen with four years. This is why Jeffrey Palmer said that we have the fastest law in the West. Other countries have ways to limit or control or check the power of the executive. They have upper houses, they have senates, whatever. We've got nothing. Given that everyone else in parliament seems to support this, it seems to me there's a fair chance this is going to go to referendum for us to decide, perhaps at the next election. And people who want four years will tell you that you must say yes because Governments don't have enough time to do what they want, which is utter bollocks, because they do have enough time. I've realized in the last couple of years, it's not because of lack of time they don't get things done, it's because of a lack of will. This Government had enough time to make changes to the supermarkets and make changes to the banks and make changes to the energy sector. They've talked about it enough - but they haven't done it because they don't want to do it, because it takes balls. I don't want four years because two blocks of three years of Jacinda Ardern's lunatic Labour administration was enough. Can you imagine how broke the country would be after two blocks of four years? Unless there are new safeguards brought in - and there are no safeguards proposed. So it's a hard no. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZME is reporting an almost 12 percent rise in half-year earnings. The media company - which owns Newstalk ZB and the Herald - is reporting growth across audio, podcasts, subscriptions, and the OneRoof property website. CEO Michael Boggs says this is a strong result, given the tough economic environment, but there's hope for more growth.  "People are seeing green shoots, but sadly, I've been saying that for the last year in every one of our results announcements...this time, we've not done any forecast based on green shoots."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More than a hundred students at Lincoln University are being re-tested after suspicions they used AI to cheat.  An entire post-graduate finance class is suspected of wrongdoing, with a threat of disciplinary action if they can't individually explain their workings in an in-person presentation involving coding and answering questions. The university's Provost, Professor Chad Hewitt, explained there are some cases where they allow the use of AI - but in this case, students were expected to use their own brain.  "The course has just identified a high number of suspected cases - as a consequence, the easiest thing to do is to bring the students in and ask them questions." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Events discovery platform Eventfinda could soon reach global markets, with help from Ticketek Entertainment Group. The live entertainment business has acquired Eventfinda, subject to conditions. Eventfinda will continue to operate under the same brand, and says clients can be assured that it’s business as usual. Co-founder James McGlinn says the team's 'overjoyed' with the new deal. "It couldn't come fast enough, we're really excited about it."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New intelligence reports have linked Iranian officials to multiple attacks against Australia’s Jewish community. Iran's ambassador to Australia and three other Iranian officials have been expelled and given a week to leave the country.  Australia's also suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran and designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist entity. Australian correspondent Charles Croucher says this is an 'unusual situation' and investigations are still ongoing. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A referendum on increasing the parliamentary term to four years is looking highly likely.  This is despite a Select Committee Report confirming ACT - who proposed the bill - will only support it if stronger checks and balances are built into the system. This includes more powers to the opposition in committees. But Justice Select Committee Chair Andrew Bayly says they're suggesting possible dates.  "It's had almost unanimous agreement across the Committee that we should put it to referendum - the question is when." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand film and television producer John Barnett died on Sunday night, according to new reports. Barnett's known for working on some of the country's highest grossing films - including Footrot Flats, Whale Rider and Sione's Wedding. He ran South Pacific Pictures, the country's largest production company, from 1992 to 2015, and was made companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to film and television in 2019. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper recalled his experience working with John Barnett. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Iran's ambassador to Australia has been expelled after intelligence revealed the Iranian government was behind two anti-Semitic attacks in Australia. The ambassador, as well as three other Iranian officials, have been given a week to leave the country. Australia's also suspended operations at its embassy in Tehran, and designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist entity. Australian correspondent Murray Olds explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch documentary maker is throwing her support behind a bill aiming to ban under-16s from social media after completing a 'distressing' social media experiment. Nadia Maxwell set up pages on TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat posing as a 13-year-old - and was quickly bombarded with content related to eating disorders and mental health issues.  She says she attempted the experiment before and after new safeguards for teens were introduced, but didn't notice much of a difference. "The only positive difference that I saw was that in part one there was a lot of oversexualised content - and so that's dropped down. But in terms of the sort of content you'd want your average 13-year-old sitting down in front of every day, there's so much heavy and distressing stuff."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TVNZ has opened a new 'game-changer' battleground with Sky TV - it will launch a pay-TV offering, starting with next year’s FIFA World Cup. TVNZ recently confirmed  it had successfully won the rights to the world’s biggest sports tournament, starting next June in the United States, Canada and Mexico. It confirmed it will screen All Whites matches and other selected games free - but for access to the full schedule of matches, people will need to pay for an event pass on TVNZ+. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People convicted of crimes in England and Wales could find themselves barred from going to pubs, concerts and sports matches under proposed new rules. The Government is looking into making changes to new sentencing rules, which will give the courts more power to enforce bans.  UK correspondent Gavin Grey explained that these changes could be a deterrent to criminals.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell has indicated rate cuts could be on the cards soon. Powell indicated the tariffs were making an inflationary impact, but he explained the impact could still be temporary. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Campervan company Tourism Holdings has reported a bottom line net loss, which they're claiming reflects the economic situation in the US. Despite the weak results, the company's hopeful about incoming future growth, which is supported by  forward rental bookings showing double-digit percentage revenue growth in all markets except the US Tourism Holdings CEO Grant Webster explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani and Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  New data shows older police officers are concerned about the skills demonstrated by the younger graduates - is this a case of older cops projecting on young people or are their concerns valid? Housing Minister Chris Bishop recently said it was a good thing that house prices were dropping - what do we make of this?   Prime Minister Chris Luxon recently claimed he would have liked the Reserve Bank to cut the OCR more. Was this out of line?  Do we go on holidays with our friends?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'll tell you what I found interesting over the last few days it's the enormous surprise at the start, and now the debate about Chris Bishop saying it's a good thing that house prices are falling. He was asked about this on Friday and he said, yes, it's a good thing and that we've got to decouple the idea that the New Zealand economy is driven by house prices - labelling it 'artificial wealth'. The immediate response to that was shock that anyone could say it, but especially a National Party minister.  And now, 3 days later, there are still newspaper pieces expressing surprise that he's got away with it - in contrast to for example, Metiria Turei, who got smacked down for it, and Jacinda Ardern, who wouldn't go there. And what's more, the surprise is that the Prime Minister has now apparently contradicted him and said, no, he does want some modest and consistent house price rises. Look, Chris Bishop has got away with it because he's right. It is actually a good thing that house prices have come back. It sucks. It sucks right now quite badly, doesn't it? Cause none of us feel wealthy as our house prices drop. And it is definitely prolonging the recession because we're not spending like we normally would when our house price values increase, which makes us feel wealthy. But it is the short-term medicine that this economy needs for improvement, because we cannot keep plowing our money into property - we should be putting it into productive investments, for example, buying shares in Pic's or whatever. Now, I know people who are actually changing their behaviour because of what is going on with house prices. I know a woman who earlier thought about buying an investment property, but didn't - and will put her money into shares instead because it's much of a muchness now. To answer the question of why Chris Bishop can get away with it, when Metiria Turei got punished for it and when Jacinda Ardern wouldn't even go there for fear of public backlash - is because it is already happening. He's not threatening to do it to us like those two birds might have. It is already happening to us. He's actually said it before, by the way, so he is consistent. And maybe, just maybe, enough of us have already realized that this is the pain we have to go through - as much as we hate it right now - for the sake of future generations. And also, by the way, I like the fact that he said something that he truly believes in, rather than saying something that he might have thought we all want to hear. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 25 August 2025, did the PM overstep when he said he thinks the Reserve Bank should have cut the OCR more than they did? Finance Minister Nicola Willis says no but banking expert Dr Claire Matthews says yes! The Police Association's Chris Cahill says senior police officers are being too harsh on their new young colleagues - after a survey found the oldies don't think the young ones are not up to scratch. A concert promoter and a hospitality boss weigh in on what we should do to attract more big events to NZ. Pic Picot tells Heather why he decided to sell a 51% stake of his brainchild Pic's Peanut Butter to an Australian company. Plus, the Huddle debates whether house prices need to fall, and whether Chris Bishop is just a brave politician saying it out loud. 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.

Further work on tackling the supermarket duopoly is in the wings. The Finance Minister claimed an update is imminent on plans to improve competition in the supermarket sector. She says this has been an issue for decades - and she'll have more to say in coming weeks. Nicola Willis says the announcement won't be a 'silver bullet' but it will reveal what the Government's been working on. "I'm not going to be announcing an international supermarket chain with 50 stores that's going to be opening up next month." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The police union says senior police officers' apparent lack of confidence in incoming cops will provide an opportunity for development.  Senior officers have criticised the quality of new officers in a police college survey. More than half believe new staff were 'barely' or 'not at all' well equipped with procedures around making an arrest. Police Association President Chris Cahill says it demonstrates where effort is needed. "We've always said over the years that the group after us aren't as good as we were and there's an element of that in there, but it certainly gives a steer where they need to put more resources in LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A private Australian firm has bought a majority stake in the famous Kiwi peanut butter firm Pic’s. The hugely successful Nelson-based company is now 51.3 percent owned by Melbourne-based Scalzo Foods, with founder Pic Picot keeping the rest. Picot says he's happy with this move, as the company needs the extra money. "We have big plans and we were getting sort of stuck with a bit too much debt - and I'm ready to do other things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pharmacist says her industry's under an unsustainable amount of pressure, off the back of two high-profile cases. New reports revealed a pharmacist failed to consult a man's GP three times on his blood thinner medication before he suffered a fatal brain bleed. Meanwhile, a Dunedin woman suffered an overdose of fentanyl after being given six times her prescribed dosage. Mangawhai Pharmacy director Lanny Wong says we need to rethink how pharmacists are funded. "For the last two decades, we've been doing the same type of work for less. So in order to keep our business viable, we need to dispense more prescription." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A banking expert believes changes to capital requirements would impact home loans and other lending. The Reserve Bank's seeking feedback on proposals to lower the requirements. The Government is concerned the current settings are inhibiting economic growth.  Head of Massey University's Finance school, Dr Claire Matthews, says a lot of people have said the bank's gone too far with those requirements. "It's just taken the Government intervention to actually force them to have another look at it."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's stressing he doesn't tell the Reserve Bank what to do, but does offer his view. Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking this morning he gives interim Governor Christian Hawkesby his reckons before the OCR's set. Speaking this afternoon, Luxon denied he has any influence over the bank's decisions.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper wonders if this is still too much for Luxon. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deadly mushroom cook Erin Patterson will face members of her husband’s family for the first time after a jury found she murdered three people with a poisoned beef Wellington. Patterson was found guilty of  three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder last month relating to a fatal lunch she hosted in the Victorian country town of Leongatha more than two years ago. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says over a dozen members of her victims’ families arrived for the hearing - but Patterson has yet to make a statement. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's hope among fans that the All Blacks can bounce back as they gear up to face the Springboks next week at Eden Park. The All Blacks crashed to their first loss to Argentina on Argentinian soil - and fourth defeat to Los Pumas overall. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon recently claimed he wants a constant flow of events to draw in international guests in order to stimulate the economy. This follows big names in the tourism sector, like Sudima Hotels, calling for further investment into major events.  Eccles Entertainment founder Brent Eccles says the nation's major events fund has only covered sporting events, not concerts. "It's quite a long lead time to access the fund - and with contemporary music, you don't have that lead time, it's pretty hard and fast. So we'll never quite be able to qualify." Steve Armitage Hospitality NZ chief executive agrees extra funding is needed to bring more events to New Zealand.  "There are a lot of other artists I think it'll be great to bring here - Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, The Eagles... first class, international entertainment works well in a stadium." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seems to me that Peeni Henare's shenanigans in the by-election right now is exactly the kind of thing that Labour has to knock on the head, quick smart, if they want to be in the game at the election next year. Now, as we were discussing earlier, even though Carmel Sepuloni has told Peeni off for saying that he wants to repeal the gang patch ban, he is not backing down. Right? He said it on Wednesday, they told him off on Thursday, and today he's not backing down. He's repeated it because he says it's his personal view. If not the Labour party’s, and he has whānau experience. Now, why he's actually doing this, in my opinion, is because the Māori Party's doing it. That's the real reason, because if you have a look at what actually happened on Wednesday night in that by-election candidates meeting, it was the Māori Party candidate Orini Kaipara who first answered the question.The question was, will you repeal the ban? She said, yes, and after she said yes, Peeni Henare then said yes too. Now, maybe he does truly believe that it is the right thing to do. But as I told you, it makes no sense as a political calculation. Why would you chase the vote of 10,000 gang members if doing that means that you lose the votes of, I don't know, maybe 100,000 normal Kiwis who think the ban is a good idea. The only answer to that question is because you actually don't care about the 100,000 votes. You're not trying to help the Labour Party win, you're just trying to win your electorate seat. In one of the Māori electorates, and you will say whatever it takes to match the Māori Party. Now, Labour needs to sort this stuff out before the next election. If Peeni or other candidates or Willie Jackson or even the entire Labour Party keeps chasing the Māori Party down the nutty radical road, they will, they will lose middle New Zealand. Just like they did when Jacinda was being told what to do by Willie and Nanaia. If I was giving them advice, it would be to leave the nutty stuff to the Māori Party and go to the center themselves again. Maybe it means MPs like Peeni Henare will lose their seats, but that may be the sacrifice you have to make in order to win the election.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 22 August 2025, Fonterra's agreed to one of the biggest ever deals in NZ business history. Chief Executive Miles Hurrell tells Heather why he's selling Anchor, Mainland and co for almost $4 billion.   Police Minister Mark Mitchell explains how a big tech upgrade will allow first responders to find your location if they have concerns for your NZ Rugby chair David Kirk explains where you'll be able to watch the rugby next year after signing a new five year deal. Plus, the Sports Huddle debates whether the player exodus from the ANZ Championship will hurt NZ's netball futures. 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.

US President Trump and Russian President Putin have been deadlocked in negotiations around the war in Ukraine, leaving space for China to benefit from this pause.  Asian Correspondent Peter Lewis says that China stands to gain two things from this situation.  Firstly, China can continue important oil and other products from Russia, as no final deal with the USA has been reached.  Secondly, the delay in trade negotiations has given China more time to create a new world trading order, keeping itself at the centre.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SkyTV is set to broadcast every All Blacks’ game for the next 5 years, and TVNZ will broadcast all 93 of the National Provincial Championship (NPC) matches.  Chair of NZ Rugby David Kirk told Heather duPlessis-Allan that reaching this deal has been a ‘long, long journey.’  ‘Both parties have worked hard, and I think we've got to a place which works for both of us.' LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on the Huddle, sports reporter Nathan Limm and sports journalist Lavina Good join Heather duPlessis-Allan to discuss the latest sports news.  What does Sky's new broadcasting deal mean for viewers? And netballers are still leaving for Australia, what needs to change to keep Kiwis at home? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's introducing stricter measures across its childcare centres in efforts to better protect young children.  CCTV cameras will be trialled at more than 300 centres - with work also commencing to develop a national register of childcare workers. It follows child sexual abuse allegations surfacing against one Victoria worker. Australia correspondent Oli Peterson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that some states have already banned personal mobile phones in centres.  He says you've got to give the state and federal governments credit here for reacting to the situation and trying to beef up regulations as quickly as they could.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Benjamin Netanyahu has called a number of western nations – including New Zealand – ‘shameful’ for their support of Palestine.  These comments come as the NZ Government moves closer towards recognising a Palestinian state.  Senior political correspondent Barry Soper says a statement about recognising Palestine will likely happen soon.  “We probably will do; I would imagine at the General Assembly in New York next month.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament's finance and expenditure committee released the findings of its banking inquiry today, making 19 recommendations - 14 of which have cross-party support.  It concluded there is no silver bullet for more competition in the sector.  Committee member Todd Stephenson saysthe first step is reducing barriers to entry.  He says a large part of that is capital requirements for new players.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erik Menendez has been denied parole 36 years after he confessed to killing his parents.  He and his brother Lyle were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.  Since then, further details around abuse from their father have surfaced, leading to public debate over their sentencing.   US Correspondent Jonathan Kearsley told Heather duPlessis-Allan that Eric Menendez will have to wait another three years before requesting parole again.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra is confident farmers will vote to sell major brands like Anchor and Mainland.   It's reached a deal to sell its consumer and associated businesses to French dairy giant Lactalis for $3.845billion.  The deal still needs the approval of shareholders.  Fonterra Chief Executive Miles Hurrell told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the offer is above expectation, and there will be a $2 capital return per share.   He says, while the public have a strong emotional connection with the brands - the feedback has been positive.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe is calling on US President Donald Trump to deploy fighter jets in Romania in order to protect Ukraine, according to new reports. Military leaders from the U.K., Germany, France, Finland, and Italy have urged US officials to provide additional support to Ukraine as the conflict continues. UK correspondent Enda Brady explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While experts are weighing up the results of US-based tech giants, one Chinese company is dominating markets. Tencent is a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate - and one of the highest-grossing multimedia companies in the world based, on revenue. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra has increased its farmgate milk price forecast for the 2024/25 season to $10.15 per kg of milksolids from $10.00/kg, and has narrowed its forecast range for the current season. The forecast range for 2024/25 has narrowed from $9.70-$10.30 per kilo of milk solids (kgMS) to $10.10-$10.20/kgMS, with the final price to be released alongside the co-op’s final result, due in September. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog's David Farrar and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! David Seymour says the coalition isn't saving as much money as ACT would have. What do we make of this?  Police Commissioner Richard Chambers gave an interview to the NZ Herald saying we should feel lucky to live in New Zealand. What do we make of this?  A Wellington restaurant is asking people to sign a contract before taking leftovers home.. to ensure they're not liable for any food safety issues. Is this over the top? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 21 August 2025, no more embarrassing plane-breakdowns! Defence Minister Judith Collins tells Heather she's gone shopping for new helicopters and planes with a total bill of $2.7 billion. You're now allowed to tell everyone what you're being paid.. but is that a good thing? Stacey Penn lost her job after she was injured while struggling with a pit bull that had charged into a jewellery shop. She says the dog was already a known troublemaker. Has the lucky streak run out? SkyCity boss Jason Walbridge discusses the company's capital raise and the big profit drop. Plus, the Huddle debates whether restaurants asking you to sign a food safety waiver are OTT. 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.

I'm gonna say thank you to the Police Commissioner, Richard Chambers, for maybe reminding us to be grateful for what we have. He gave an interview to the Herald today and he said he thinks there is a fair bit of punching down on New Zealand going on at the moment. And he thinks that's unfair. He says: "With the world going a little crazy, I count us lucky that we are where we are." Now, given how much doom and gloom there is at the moment, it may surprise you to know that the accompanying poll in the Herald article actually agrees with him - as unscientific as it is. Most people rate their experience of living in New Zealand as 8 out of 10. 20 percent of people say they have an 8 out of 10 experience. Then the next one up is 10 out of 10. That's 15 percent. 7 out of 10 comes next, and 13 percent of us say that.  So, 7, 8, 9, and 10 out of 10 account for 58 percent of the votes. Way more than half of us think that we are living in a pretty great place. Now, as I say, it's not scientific, but it is a nice reminder that actually most of us do know how good we've got it. It's really easy to fall into the trap of thinking the grass is greener on the other side, which is why so many of us are leaving and heading off to places like Australia. Actually, if the other side is Australia, once they get there, they are going to realize it's not that much greener.  They're gonna go through the same stuff with the economy that they were going through back here in New Zealand.Life over there is expensive as well. And if the other side is Europe, it's definitely not greener over there. It's actually tens of thousands of refugees arriving on your doorstep. It's huge unrest over migrants in the UK. It's the threat of war just across the border. And it's cost of living problems there too. Now, I'm not Pollyannaish at all about New Zealand. I know life is expensive, I know there are people who have never had to budget who are now having to budget. I can see that the Government books definitely need tidying up, and we're completely overdue structural economic change. But at least most things are headed in the right direction. Education for our kids has been sorted out, red tape is being cut, the economy is turning around, the days are getting longer, and we live in a safe place with a good work-life balance where our kids can grow up fairly healthy. So thank you to the Police Commissioner, of all people, for reminding us of that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SkyCity is pushing forward with a new capital raise, after confirming a significant drop in profit. Underlying profit's plummeted 42 percent, according to new reports. Costs have also been rising, particularly for regulatory compliance, online gaming, and the soon-to-open Auckland convention centre. SkyCity CEO Jason Walbridge says he believes they're acting in the best interests of the company - despite the concerns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT leader has promised less spending and fewer public servants. It comes after numerous redundancies in the public sector, following calls for efficient spending as the coalition's budgets were being delivered. David Seymour says the Government is not cutting costs as much as ACT would. "We said that we wanted to reduce the number of public servants back to pre-Labour levels, and we also said that we wanted to reduce spending by about 8 or 9 billion each year." Seymour's reiterating the comments made yesterday when reacting to a further OCR cut. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.