Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Politicians are among those paying tribute to prominent businessman, author, and former politician Sir Bob Jones.   The 85-year-old, who launched the New Zealand Party in the 1980s, has died peacefully at his Wellington home.   Labour Leader Chris Hipkins described him as a colourful character, saying there’s no doubt he impacted the political landscape, while Christopher Luxon described him as a legend, and paid tribute to him as a businessman.  NZ Herald Political Editor Thomas Coughlan joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to break down the responses to Jones’ death.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Napier residents will still be able to dance the night away.  The City Council has rejected a proposal that would force bars to close an hour earlier – at 2am instead of 3.  It was part of the city’s draft Local Alcohol Policy.  Councillor Richard McGrath told Heather du Plessis-Allan that though they had evidence that connected alcohol and trouble, there didn’t seem to be a correlation between that and age.  He says that in the same time period, there was roughly an equivalent amount of harm in a suburb with two alcohol licenses as there was in the suburb with the nightclub – an area that has up to 30 licenses.   McGrath says that in his view, there’s no evidence its the clubs and pubs causing the problems as opposed to off-licenses and house parties.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Very sad news this afternoon that Bob Jones has passed away.  It's not altogether a surprise – he was getting on in age, and he had been feeling unwell and slowing down for at least a couple of years.  But still, it is the passing of a great, colourful, larger than life character.  I can’t remember when I first met Bob, but I've known him for close to twenty years.  He was actually the first person I saw at my wedding on my wedding day... because he was leaving.  I was late —which frankly is a bride’s prerogative— but he was so cross at how late I was that he stormed out of the wedding, bumped into me outside, fortunately turned around and went back in.  And then afterwards, he gave me a rundown of the things he enjoyed and didn't enjoy about the wedding, inducing: could’ve kept the champagne and canapes going for longer and could've skipped the dinner.  He gave some pretty unusual life advice.  When I was pregnant with my son, we had dinner with Bob one night and he spent a long time telling me that my son would wear me out because boys are energetic, and that if I had a girl next I would probably think there was something wrong with her, and might want to take her to the doctor but there would be nothing wrong with her – boys are just more energetic than girls.   He was right of course.  Not everyone loves Bob. I know that. He was a polarising character, but he had something that many of us could learn from, and that was a wicked sense of humour.  He laughed a lot. He played pranks. He enjoyed mocking things he didn’t like.  He was incredibly wealthy, but not pretentious – e grew up in a state house in Naenae after all.  And he was very clever. Read anything he’s written – you’ll wish you could write like him.   I count myself lucky to have known Bob Jones.  He's one of those characters we seemed to have had a lot of in the 70s and 80s but don't seem to make nowadays.  As someone else said today: New Zealand is duller without him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Voters across the UK are set to vote for a new lawmaker, councillors and mayors in the coming days in the local elections. This local election is predicted to favour the right-wing populist Reform UK party - led by Nigel Farage. UK correspondent Enda Brady says people are divided about Starmer's performance as Prime Minister - and Farage has managed to attract plenty of coverage in the lead-up. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US has signed a deal with Kyiv to share profits from the future sale of Ukraine's mineral reserves - after months of tense negotiations and an infamous meeting in the White House. The two countries have agreed to establish a reconstruction investment fund to spur Ukraine's economic recovery from its war with Russia. New Voice of Ukraine editor says this is a better deal than the previous one on offer - but there's been criticism coming out of Ukraine about it. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The next set of unemployment figures are due to be released next week - and speculation indicates they'll go up even higher. Unemployment was sitting at 5.1 percent at the end of last year, according to the data. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann speculates ahead of next week's release. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 1 May 2025, the Health Minister has called striking doctors back to negotiating table. Doctors union boss Sarah Dalton speaks to Heather. ACT leader David Seymour wants to cut a significant number of Ministries to save more money but he won't say which ones he would cut. The ComCom explains why it won't do a market study into the price of air travel in New Zealand. Plus, a groundbreaking new study has for the first time linked vaping with irreversible lung disease. 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, CTU economist Craig Renney and journalist Clare de Lore joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  David Seymour has made some suggestions about the ministries he would cut down or scrap altogether. What do we think? Do we agree with this idea? The Greens have unveiled a plan to create 40,000 new 'green jobs' as part of their alternative budget due out in a couple of weeks. Do we support this concept? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Now, I've done a bit of an exercise today. I started reading the news this morning, and I was really quickly struck by how many opinion pieces and comments of outrage there were over the Government removing the voting rights from prisoners. There was, just by my account, two full opinion pieces by academics, a newsletter that landed in my inbox, a left-wing blog post, outrage from Labour, and outrage from the Greens. So when I saw that, I thought, jeez, there's quite a lot coming from these guys. It might be interesting to compare this to how many opinion pieces and comments of outrage there are about the four killings currently in the news that have all been committed by people either previously in jail or previously in mental health care. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the man who has now murdered twice and been found insane twice. It's the two murders by Hill Morton mental health patients, and it's the murder by the parole rapist in Christchurch. All of them have been in the news just in the last few days. I didn't find one piece - not one opinion piece - by an academic about this, not one comment of outrage from the Greens, and the only relevant comment that I could find from Labour was the Labour MP saying that it was inappropriate to comment on it. Now, doesn't that tell you a lot about where we're putting our energy at the moment? We are, it would seem, angsting more about protecting the right that a prisoner has to vote - a right which, by the way, we were just told yesterday that most prisoners don't even want. But we are angsting ourselves over protecting that. And we are more angsting more about protecting that than we are about protecting the rights of innocent people not to be hurt by high-risk people who we know are high-risk. Now, we should be interrogating the agencies responsible here. We should be finding out what went wrong, and we should be angsting over it so it doesn't happen again. And I would venture that our priorities are way out of whack if we are more stressed in the news media about whether the bad guys can vote than where authorities are keeping innocent people safe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand wants to tap into more sustainable aviation fuel - to meet net zero emissions by 2050.  It's aiming to cut well-to-wake jet fuel greenhouse gas emissions by 20-to-25-percent in five years, compared to pre-Covid.  Air New Zealand's Kiri Hannifin says this is the main way airlines can de-carbonise.  She says sustainable fuel is costly, but there's ongoing work looking at keeping airfare prices fair - especially for domestic travel.  "Why it's so expensive at the moment is because there's hardly any available, so the more demand there is, the more supply there'll be available - and that will help get the prices down." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research has confirmed there is an unmistakeable link between vaping and irreversible lung disease. The study published by Johns Hopkins University tracked 250,000 people - and discovered that e-cigarette use is associated with increased new diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in New Zealand. Respiratory physician and Asthma and Respiratory Foundation adviser, Dr Stuart Jones, says it's been known that vaping comes with harmful side effects - but this study provides more concrete evidence about the damage.  "The respiratory community aren't surprised at all that this result has come out - I guess it's what we've been warning about all along with the vaping that's been going on." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greens are revealing parts of their alternative budget - set to cost about $8 billion over four years. It's calling for a Ministry of Green Works, a Government agency supporting sustainable infrastructure - including regional forestry. The party estimates it would create 40,000 jobs. Co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick won't release more details - but says their costed independent budget will be released in about two weeks. "In about a fortnight's time, we'll be unveiling our Green budget, which will show people how we can have an economy that reduces the cost of living, improves quality of life and also reduces climate-changing emissions." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's leader says now is a good time for the Government to think about its organisation. David Seymour wants a limit on Cabinet Minister numbers - with none outside Cabinet, and only one associate minister for finance. Seymour says there are currently ministers with seven different departments, and departments answering to 19 ministers.  He says he doesn't expect change pre-election - but believes Chris Luxon gets his viewpoint. "Chris cut his teeth as a manager - and I'm sure that it's something that, without speaking for him, he will intuitively get." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The senior doctor's union says a pay increase offered in negotiations with Health New Zealand doesn't seem to have changed.  About 5,000 senior doctors have been striking today, after eight months of failed bargaining.  Health Minister Simeon Brown is urging members to resume talks. Salaried Medical Specialists Association executive director, Sarah Dalton, says what's being offered won't attract or retain talent.  "What would be really helpful would be for the Minister to think about what funds they make available to Te Whatu Ora to help them sort this out." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister is making it clear he's not criticising doctors over pay - but their union.  More than $5,000 senior doctors in the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists union have been striking today.  Simeon Brown's urging them back to the negotiating table, saying thousands of surgeries - such as hip operations and knee replacements - have had to be delayed.  NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan questions if the doctors will accept a new offer. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The estranged husband of killer-accused, Erin Patterson, has taken the stand today - revealing a series of texts. Patterson's charged with murdering his parents and aunt with a beef wellington lunch laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the ex-husband, Simon Patterson, was invited to the lunch - but declined.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Indian Panthers are out of the NBL basketball competition for the foreseeable future. The NBL commission has suspended the overseas first-year entrant amid claims of payment issues and poor treatment of players. The club will be indefinitely suspended until certain conditions laid out by the Commission are met. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission has confirmed it will not be formally putting the cost of flying under the microscope. Rangitata MP James Meager has suggested the Government could help keep fares competitive by supporting regional airlines. It's been revealed some flights to Pacific Island nations are cheaper than certain trips within New Zealand. Commission Chair Dr John Small says flying short routes with low demand is very expensive. "There's no law against charging high prices - that's the reality of things in New Zealand. If it's a monopoly - on a monopoly route - it's potentially able to be regulated." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meghan Markle has copped some backlash after new reports claim she was using her HRH title when she wasn't supposed to. Sources close to the Duchess of Sussex say that when she used the title HRH on a card, it was sent with a personal gift and not for any public purpose. UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacks the controversy further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US earnings season has started up again - and new reports indicate Donald Trump's tariffs are starting to bite. Companies across the US have reported shipping from China has taken a significant dip - the biggest reported since the Covid-19 pandemic. Milford Asset Management's Sam Trethewey explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is continuing to buy foreign currency assets to give it more firepower, should it need to intervene in the market during a crisis. The central bank sold a whopping $259 million of New Zealand dollars in March to buy assets, such as government bonds, linked to other currencies. The sale marked the second-largest foreign exchange-related transaction (or series of transactions) the Reserve Bank (RBNZ) has engaged in during a month in just over a decade.  NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog writer and Curia pollster David Farrar and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Wellington City Council has voted in favour of supporting lowering the voting age to 16 in local body elections. This is never going to go anywhere - is it? The Government's latest curriculum update involves teaching students about financial literacy. Do we think schools should be teaching this - or should it be taught at home?  What do we make of Nicola's almost zero-budget one day on? Do we agree with Nicola's plan - or should she be going further? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I want to talk a little bit more about Nicola Willis’ tight budget - I haven’t changed my position from yesterday and I'm impressed at how little she’s giving herself to play with. But the truth is, it doesn’t go far enough - at all. Because understand this - that $1.3 billion that she’s given herself in her operating allowance is new spending. As in, take last year’s budget and now increase it by $1.3 billion. For context, Nicola Willis spent more money last year than Grant Robertson ever did in any of his budgets - and now she’s adding another $1.3 billion to it. Now I understand that this is conventional politics - budgets increase every year.   The last time it didn't, the last time we had a zero budget where we didn’t add any more money was Bill English's 2011 budget - because we’d had the earthquake. But what that tells you is it’s possible to not increase the spending - and I would argue that is exactly what we should be doing at the moment. Because we are in big financial trouble as a country. We are running structural deficits - that means we are spending more every year than we make. If it was a household, we’d be talking about a family spending more than they earn and running up the difference on credit cards every year - but still deciding every year to spend more. That’s what we’re doing. I think we need to cut big things. Now, I don’t want to be accused of being a racist, so I'm reluctant to say publicly that we should cut the Ministry for Māori Development or the Ministry for Pacific Peoples - but I am a woman, so I'm very happy to say we should cut the Ministry for Women. Why do we need it? Why do we need a Ministry for the Environment and also a Department of Conservation? I could go on. But if we don't get real and start running smaller budgets where we spend within our means, something will have to give. And the thing every commentator out there seems to want to cut is your pension - because it's very expensive to the country. Now if I had a choice, I'd keep the pension and cut out nonsense like ministries we don't need and stop spending more every year than we did the last. Like I said, I'm impressed. Nicola Willis is going further than I thought she would - but not far enough if we're actually going to fix the country's books. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 30 April 2025, KiwiRail's announced the Aratere will be retired this year, leaving us with just two Interislander ferries for the next four years.   Education Minister Erica Stanford explains why she's going to introduce financial literacy courses to schools. Heather explains why she's impressed with Nicola Willis' budget announcement - but thinks we need to cut whole ministries to free up more money. Plus, the Huddle debates Wellington City Council voting in favour of allowing 16-year olds to vote in local body elections. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The future has been secured for Whakapapa skifield after DoC today granted a 10-year concession. Whakapapa Holdings has signed up to run the Whakapapa skifield on the iconic North Island mountain for the next decade. It's taken multiple Government bail-outs and years of talks to reach this point - since Ruapehu Alpine Lifts folded in 2022.  Whakapapa Holdings Chief Executive Dave Mazey says an environment with less time pressure will help with developing a long-term future for the skifield.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis is looking to further rein in Government spending in next month's Budget - but one expert has warned it won't go far enough. The Finance Minister is slashing the operating allowance from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion. She's targeting a return to surplus in 2029. NZ Initiative economist Eric Crampton says Government spending has been running too high for years - and cuts need to be made to save the situation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's belief a man who killed a second time after being found insane after a killing more than two decades ago shouldn't have been released.  RNZ has revealed the man was recently found not guilty of murder by way of insanity again - as he'd believed the victim was possessed.  He'd been a special patient under the Mental Health Act, but was freed more than 10 years ago.  The Government's Chief Victims Advisor, Ruth Money, say she'd like a Royal Commission inquiry of how people are assessed to ensure they won't reoffend.  "People are going on to kill - and it is not good enough. It's too dangerous for the community and there needs to be a level of inquiry that has teeth." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Wellington City Councillor says he's not holding his breath on 16-year-olds getting the vote.  The Council has reaffirmed its support for letting them participate in local body elections, with only four councillors opposed.  Councillor Ben McNulty says it was a quick vote - and he was in favour. But he says this Government's likely to ignore the call.  "Whether LGNZ listens to Wellington, whether the Government then listens to LGNZ - who knows? It's purely symbolic." McNulty says symbolism is sometimes important in politics.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Another Government curriculum refresh is aiming to give school kids more grasp of money management. The Education Minister's making financial literacy a compulsory topic for years one to ten. The Government is teaming up with financial organisations, banks, and charities for lessons on investment and taxes. Erica Stanford says kids will learn a small dose each year, increasing in complexity as they get older - in order to build up financial skills over their time at school. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interislander is reducing its Cook Strait ferry fleet from three to two. The Aratere will retire when demolition begins on its decaying dock - late this year or early the next - to add infrastructure for new ships. Two new ferries are due in 2029. KiwiRail's Adele Wilson says it would've cost about $120 million to have an interim dock. "The idea of the temporary wharf is one of those things that is not possible if we want to bring this project in on budget and on time and at a level that's affordable."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interislander's Aratere is heading towards its final journey - as work is underway to get rid of the Cook Strait ferry's decaying dock. Infrastructure is needed for new ferries, arriving in 2029, and work to demolish Aratere berth will in the coming months. It'll spell an end to the ageing ferry's operation because it can't use other Interislander docks. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacks this announcement. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump has celebrated the 100th day of his second term - and he spoke to party faithful at a gathering in Michigan. He spoke of his achievements in the role, mocked his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, and dismissed polls that showed his popularity slipping. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Trump's trying to reassure people as the mass dissatisfaction over his tariffs draws backlash - and impacts the stock market.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Indian Panthers CEO Parveen Batish has admitted players were unpaid while appearing for the franchise in basketball's NBL. League officials say they're considering options regarding the Panthers futures after meetings involving all 12 clubs today. The new side's game against the Canterbury Rams last night was canned at the 11th hour. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A legal expert has raised issues with the Government's plan to reinstate a total ban on prisoners voting in general elections. The Government is proposing to reverse changes that let prisoners with sentences under three years vote, with the Justice Minister saying this sends a message to those who breach their civil responsibilities. Electoral law expert and barrister Graeme Edgeler has taken issue with the 'randomness' of this proposal. "If someone's got a life sentence or 10 years or something, they're going to miss out on voting at elections - but someone who's maybe got a one-year sentence, the question of whether they get banned from voting turns on whether they got sentence in 2023 or 2025."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday 29 April. 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.

Up to 120 jobs are on the line as Fonterra plans to shut its Hamilton packaging facility.  The closures due to 'challenging economic conditions'.  'The Country' host Jamie Mackay talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the closure and the climate debate within the National Party.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Employment data out today shows filled job numbers rose 0.2% in March. Primary industries led the growth up 04%. Infometrics Principal Economist Nick Brunsdon says it's a reason to get excited. “It’s to be celebrated after a fair period of decline.” LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spain has declared a state of emergency entire areas of the country and of Portugal are without power. The outage has disrupted trains, cut cell phone and internet networks and trapped people in elevators. Portugal’s power company said it may take a week to get the network back to normal. UK Correspondent Enda Brady joins the show to give an update on the situation. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government’s halfling their operating allowance in the budget out at the end of May. They say they have freed up “billions” in additional public service cuts to allocate more money into the country’s “most pressing priorities.” Economist Cameron Bagrie talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the announcement. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite reports of critical levels of vacancies for senior doctor positions, Taupō hospital now has accreditation to train rural doctors.  It will be the first North Island hospital to receive accreditation to deliver the training.   Meanwhile senior doctors are still planning to strike on Thursday, despite a new offer from Health New Zealand.  Health Minister Simeon Brown talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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A controversial new initiative to reduce injuries in the manufacturing sector has been put on pause by ACC.  The tender process specifically focused on Māori and Pasifika workers.  ACC Minister Scott Simpson initially stood by ACC, saying its tender “aligns with the Government’s desire to support New Zealanders based on evidence of need”. However, he then U-turned by asking ACC to review the policy after the ACT Party complained.  Scott Simpson joins the show to discuss the initiative.  LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellingtonians have one less candidate to choose from as current Mayor Tory Whanau bows out of the race. She has instead endorsed Labour’s Andrew Little for the position. Wellington City Councillor Ray Chung is running against Andrew Little, and he talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the race and whether Whanau will now be Andrew Little's deputy. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canadian Liberal Party leader Mark Carney has won the election, leading his party into a fourth-consecutive term in power. The former Bank of England boss had never held a political role before taking over from Justin Trudeau in March. Canada Correspondent Cat Tunney joins the show to discuss the win and the elections final moments. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is set to half its operating allowance, through a $1b cut in the upcoming budget. It means a small number of government departments will receiveadditional funding this year. Finance Minister Nicola Willis talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the cut. LISTEN ABOVE.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government’s plan to reduce the operating allowance from $2.4 billion to $1.3 billion is the smallest amount of new spending in a decade. Finance Minister Nicola Willis has decided to make departments metabolise their own spending in order to get books back into surplus. New Zealand Herald Political Editor Thomas Coughlan talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the ‘big’ decision, KiwiSaver subsidies and Tory Whanau dropping out of the Wellington race. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An inquest into the Bondi Junction stabbing incident today heard from the police officer who shot dead the attacker. Amy Scott said she thought Joel Cauchi was going to kill her before she shot him. It’s been revealed that Cauchi hadn’t been treated for acute schizophrenia for five years. Australian Correspondent Murray Olds joins the show to discuss the details, the start of a trial for alleged mushroom poisoning and the NRL’s Welcome to Country cancellation drama. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The NRL’s calling on referees to crackdown on head contact. It comes as the sports latest round saw 18 yellow cards. But some are saying it’s part of the game and becoming too strict runs the risk of slowing the game down. Sportstalk host D’Arcy Waldegrave joins the show to discuss how the rules might change, a new game coming to New Zealand that has people concerned. LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour’s calling on mayors to help in reducing school truancies. The Associate Education Minister’s asking mayors to use the Government’s new daily school attendance dashboard to understand how regions compare to each other. Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says Seymour's plea was vague. “So if he wants to play us a formal role, I think he needs to look at funding us." LISTEN ABOVE. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If Nicola Willis can pull this Budget off, it'll be impressive, because she has written a budget, by the looks of things, that is so tight, there is basically no new money. If you haven’t caught up on this, Nicola Willis gave a speech this morning in which she announced she was cutting back her new spending in this budget hugely. Her plan originally was to give herself $2.4 billion extra new money to spend. She’s just announced she’s cutting that basically in half to $1.3 billion. The last time a finance minister had that little to play with was Bill English in 2015 who gave himself only 1 billion in extra money that year. But it gets even better – because all of that money is already spoken for, last years budget promised this year’s budget would spend an extra $1.4 billion on health. Which basically means her $1.3 billion in new spending is already gone on that $1.4 billion health promise ... and she still has to find $100 million to make up the difference. AND ... she’s got to find another $150 million for the 26 new cancer drugs that were promised halfway through last year. So what that means is ... she has no new spending. In fact, add those two together and she’s already $250 million in the red and she’s going to find that by cutting public spending in other places. This is good. Because you don’t need me to tell the public service has got bloated and the spending of taxpayer money happens way too easily. Especially after Grant Roberton's free for all and going through spending with a fine-tooth comb and cutting what isn’t good or necessary is not a bad thing. It is a good fiscal discipline and the country will be better off for it. I for one am pleased that we will not be going to this year’s budget wondering what we’re each getting out of the lolly scramble But instead, wondering how much has been cut and from where. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.