Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

A 9-year-old Auckland boy has been told he can no longer play age-grade rugby with his friends because he’s over the weight limit. The student was one of 106 children who applied for a weight dispensation in the Counties Manukau Rugby Football Union club competition - and after being denied, has opted out of playing any winter sport this year. The union explained structures are in place to ensure player safety and fairness in competition. Rugby commentator Kevin Putt says safety concerns have impacted other decisions made by clubs. "You know that they've actually taken away tackle...they had ripper rugby going for years. We're talking now about an exclusion of an individual - they're trying to save the game as it is at the moment." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year’s Primary Industry New Zealand Award finalists have been announced. The seventh annual awards are part of the two-day Primary Industry New Zealand (PINZ) Summit, at Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre on June 24 and 25. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Government has warned prisons are running out of room - and they're aiming to get new structures built to address the shortage. Three new prisons - totalling £4.7 billion - will be built, starting this year. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Is the proposed punishment for the Māori Party too harsh? Gerry Brownlee says it's severe and is suggesting Parliament can still change its mind. What do we make of this?  Drug tests have found more workers are doing meth. Do we think we should start testing more workers, even in white collar jobs?  A nine-year-old made headlines after being rejected from his rugby grade due to his weight. What do we think of this? Is this a safety concern? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Butter, cheese and milk were the biggest drivers of a rise in food prices for the year to April 2025, new figures from Stats NZ show. Food prices increased 3.7 percent in the 12 months to April - well ahead of the annual inflation rate at 2.6 percent. That follows a 3.5 percent increase in the 12 months to March 2025. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains what's going on. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new report suggests the increase in domestic air fares may be due to a lack of the right planes. In particular, airlines don't seem to have access to suitable 19-50 seat passenger aircraft. Air New Zealand has abandoned some of their regional routes - but the gap in the market hasn't been filled. Air Chathams chief commercial officer Duane Emeny speculates further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up to 15 metro-style Briscoe and Rebel Sport stores will be popping up across the country - in a bid to pump up Briscoes Group's profitability. The project will cost more than $100 million dollars - and launch in 2028.  Briscoe Group managing director Rod Duke says the company is looking to expand their reach to new locations. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A former Speaker believes suggested punishments for three Te Pāti Māori MPs falls short. Parliament's Privileges Committee has recommended suspensions for the three - for their protest haka during voting on the Treaty Principles Bill.  Parliament will vote next Tuesday on whether to suspend the co-leaders for 21 days, and MP Hana Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke for seven. David Carter says the haka was 'intimidating' and 'unacceptable'. "And then to refuse to appear before the Privileges Committee - again, it's yet another contempt of the rules of Parliament." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A workplace drug testing company is sounding the alarm, with meth showing up disproportionately in results nationwide. New data from the Drug Detection Agency finds meth's turned up in a quarter of all results. It follows the Drug Trends Survey revealing gangs are behind one-in-three sales of methamphetamine across the country. CEO Glenn Dobson says meth usage makes it harder for employees to do their work - and creates extra risks in the workplace. "In general terms - it can affect them for about 48-72 hours. The thing with meth is that the user will go so hard and so long based on their lifestyle to stay up and stay active that they have a massive hangover effect afterwards when they come down." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Authorities are investigating whether the arson attacks on two properties linked to Keir Starmer are connected to 'hostile state involvement'. Police are also investigating whether a suspected attack at another North London property linked to the Prime Minister 24 hours earlier is also connected.  A car fire on the same street as Starmer's family home is also under investigation. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says it's unknown where the 'hostile state' is - but Iran is a prime suspect. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a memorable year for financial markets so far - but experts have noted that the NZX appears to have calmed down. After President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day', the NZX took a significant dip, but the markets appear to have shaken off the impact caused by the tariffs. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has talked up how changes to KiwiSaver, due to be announced at the Budget, will boost members’ balances. She's offered up some hints - but it's unlikely the Government will help by opening up its wallet. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny speculates further ahead of Budget day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, David Farrar from Kiwiblog and Curia 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!   The Green Party has unveiled their alternative Budget - what do we make of it? How laughable are these ideas? Brooke van Velden made history in Parliament today by dropping the c-bomb to call out Labour for referencing the Andrea Vance column. Was this the right move?   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're a week away from Budget 2025 being released - and more organisations have found out whether or not they're invited to the lock-up. The Budget lock-up refers to the four-hour window where journalists, analysts and other associated experts can read through the Budget and hear the Finance Minister present it before the information gets released to the public. Infrastructure NZ has been left off the list - and chief executive Nick Leggett has voiced confusion as to why they've been barred. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 14 May 2025, Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden speaks to Heather after using the c-word in Parliament in protest against what she says are misogynist attacks by Labour. Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick defends her Budget alternative - including free GP and dentist visits, a wealth tax and inheritance tax and a private jet tax. Northland principal Pat Newman on what would really help to get truant kids back to school. Plus, former Finance Minister Steven Joyce on why he supports free vaccines for over 65s and his future as a NZME board chair. 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'd love to know what Labour are saying behind closed doors about the Green Party's alternative Budget released today. I mean, they're playing nice in public - but behind closed doors, they must be tearing their hair out because this is next level crazy. I mean, none of it is a surprise. It is full of exactly the kind of utopian, money grows on trees, when-I-grow-up-I-want-to-be-a-unicorn kind of stuff that we expect from the Greens. There is a wealth tax, there is an increased tax for companies, there are two new personal tax rates, there's a private jet tax, an inheritance tax, there's doubling the bright-line test to bring in more capital gains tax, and a doubling of the minerals tax. They're also gonna save some money by cutting planned prisoner beds, but they haven't quite explained how they're going to stop these bad guys actually committing the crimes that land them in prison in the first place. They're gonna spend the money on light rail in Auckland, an overnight train from Wellington to Auckland, trains from Auckland to Tauranga, trains from Christchurch and Dunedin, trains from Auckland to Hamilton,  There's free GPs, free nursing services, free annual dental check-ups, free basic dental care, free prescriptions, and free childcare from age 6 months. There's also free income in the form of a UBI for students and beneficiaries - as I say, just the usual crazy stuff which 90 percent of us voters seem to agree makes them completely unfit to run the country's books. My reaction, obviously, has just been to laugh - because, you know, I was 5 years old too once and I also had these kinds of dreams. Labour's reaction must be to cry, because this kind of loony nonsense that's paraded as serious policy just makes it so much harder for them to get back into Government. I mean, Labour will need the Greens much more than they have in the past, right? We are no longer dealing with the Greens sitting at 5 percent where their nutty ideas can be ignored because they will not get as much out of coalition negotiations, we are now dealing with the Green Party consistently sitting at 10 percent and above. A Labour-Greens government will be 3 quarters Labour and one quarter the Greens - and that's not even counting the other dollop of crazy that's going to come from the Māori Party. Jet tax, death tax, wealth tax, crims out on the street - Labour must be weeping today. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One former Finance Minister has voiced support for introducing a comprehensive vaccination program aimed towards older New Zealanders. A new report has revealed that a publicly funded vaccination program for the flu, shingles and RSV directed at over-65s would create an economic benefit of over $1 billion over four years. Steven Joyce says health systems all over the world are under pressure - and a new solution is needed. "What attracted me to this is - we know about the benefit of vaccinations to children, there's a huge increase in life expectancy that occurred as a result of that. When you look at it this way, it's just as much of a no-brainer."  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns and fears among some that the Regulatory Standards Bill sidelines te Tiriti o Waitangi.  The ACT Party bill aims to reduce regulation, claiming it'll create standards for 'good legislation'. The Waitangi Tribunal is meeting to discuss the legislation's failure to include the Treaty in those standards.    Ngati Toa CEO Helmut Modlik says ACT pushed it quickly through consultation before introducing it. "They've been a bit naughty beggars where they've truncated the time-frame - rushing it through so that it can quickly get to the phase where the Tribunal has no jurisdiction."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland's War Memorial Museum still doesn't have a re-opening date after closing on Saturday when asbestos dust was found in multiple areas. The dust isn't air-borne - and has been found in the older part of the museum and Grand Foyer, where the emergency exits are located. Staff have been working remotely. Deputy mayor Desley Simpson says the museum's doing the right thing and putting safety first.  "They're working under a licenced asbestos assessor to actually get rid of it."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greens' Chlöe Swarbrick says tax policy has been used before to create a better society. The Greens today launched their alternative Budget,  which includes a 2.5 percent tax on individual net wealth over $2 million. It would help pay for policies like free GP trips, free ECE and an Income Guarantee.  Swarbrick says after World War Two, higher taxes helped fund public housing and schools.  "That created a period by which even those who were having a hard time were able to participate in society and get the necessary social mobility so that they could live a good life in the future." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ACT's Brooke van Velden is not apologising for using the c-word in the House today.  The Workplace Relations Minister said it after a question from Labour that referenced an opinion piece in The Post that used it in relation to a group of female ministers.  She delivered a strong rebuke - and criticised Labour for bringing it up in the House.  She says she stands by saying it. "I wanted to stand up for myself and stand up for all the female Cabinet ministers - that it's not okay that we have misogynistic abuse and it's not okay that it was brought into the Chamber." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has started his four-day trip to the Middle East by strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia. The US president has met with the country's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. They announced a $600 billion (USD) commitment from Saudi Arabia to invest in America. The two also discussed efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear programme and end the war in Gaza. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says this trip has raised concerns - especially following the infamous plane gift Trump received from Qatar. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Workplace Relations Minister's defending saying the C-word in Parliament, while lashing out over an opinion piece opposing her pay equity policy. In the Sunday Star Times, Andrea Vance referred to senior Cabinet ministers as girl-bosses and a hype squad, and said the policy used 'girl math'. Quoting it in Parliament, Brooke van Velden herself used the extreme swear-word - saying she's standing up for MPs. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls unpacked the whole saga - and explained how it backfired on the opposition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Australian will take the helm of Team New Zealand in their next defence of the America's Cup. Nathan Outteridge - part of the crew that retained the Auld Mug last year - will step up to skipper after Peter Burling walked away from the syndicate. Three-time Cup-winning helmsman and Olympic gold medallist Burling announced last month he was parting ways with the Kiwi syndicate. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Northland principal says the Government's inventing a bureaucracy in its crackdown on school truancy.  This year's Budget has $140 million for getting kids back in school - with a new case management system and better data monitoring. Horahora school principal Pat Newman says schools should be in charge of what happens with the funding.  "We don't need Big Brother sitting over us from Wellington, giving directives and telling us how to do the job. We're actually more skilled in it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 21-year-old man has been arrested over a series of arson attacks after a fire at a house owned by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Police arrested the suspect in the early hours of Tuesday. He remains in custody. UK correspondent Enda Brady says reports reveal there were three similar fire-related incidents over a four days last week. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carpet maker Bremworth has reversed its wool only policy - and will soon start making synthetic carpets again. The NZX-listed company, which stopped producing synthetic carpets in 2020 in favour of a wool-only policy, will restart production of synthetic carpets at its Auckland facility in the next financial year. The Country's Jamie Mackay unpacked the market reactions to this. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, CTU economist Craig Renney and Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!   Why has the CTU been excluded from the Budget lock-up? The green bins debate- do they need to go? Simeon Brown suggested Aucklanders could shave 2 percent off their rates bills if they went away. What do we make of this? The IRD is cracking down on chasing up people overseas who haven't paid back their student loans. Why have they taken so long to do this?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister has revealed the Government will will make its first withdrawal from the Super in 2028 - five years earlier than initially planned. In the first year, $32 million will be withdrawn - but from 2031, withdrawals are expected annually. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen explains why this is happening. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inland Revenue has collected more than $207 million in repayments since July last year from student loan borrowers living overseas in the past 9 months. This is a 43 percent increase on the same period from the previous year. Currently, 71 percent of overseas student loan borrowers are in default - and together, they owe about $2.3 billion in loans, penalties and interest. Deloitte tax partner Robyn Walker explains why the IRD is so invested in getting these repayments back. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 13 May 2025, even more details have come to light about the kind of pornographic material that Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming allegedly had on his work device. NZ Herald investigative reporter Jared Savage tells Heather the details. Auckland Council's Justine Haves defends the little food rubbish bins, after Minister for Auckland Simeon Brown claimed the council could shave 2% of our rates bill by getting rid of them. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls gets into a heated debate with Heather about who is allowed into the Budget lockup. Plus, Public Service Minister Judith Collins on why she is thinking about getting rid of DEI hiring policies for the public service.   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.

Why has it taken us so long to get serious about forcing people to pay back their student loans? Last month, IRD had someone arrested at the border. They have now paid back their loan. Isn't that amazing? They had been chased and chased and chased and chased - and you know that they had, because the IRD only arrest you at the border as an absolute last resort, but suddenly they were arrested at the border and despite presumably years of not paying back their loan - they pay it back. Isn't it incredible what a little bit of pressure can do? We've got more on this, by the way. The IRD has got in contact with more than 12,000 people who are living overseas who owe money on their student loans. 960 of them have paid back everything that was overdue, 1300 of them have started repayment plans, and 89 people have been warned they will also be arrested at the border if they don't start paying up. 11 of them, as a result of that warning, have started dealing with their debt - either by paying it back or by applying for hardship provisions. Now, why I'm telling you this is because it's nearly a year since the Government threw extra money at the IRD to chase down these bludgers. And the IRD has put out a press release with the latest figures to show that actually, yeah, putting that extra money in for the enforcement is bearing fruit. The only question we now have is - why didn't we do this earlier? I mean, it is not like this is a new problem, is it? We have complained about this for years, about these people freeloading on the ever-generous New Zealand taxpayer and then getting a free education over here, going off overseas to live their best lives, paying taxes somewhere else, helping out some other country, and then leaving us holding the baby in their debt. Now, I suspect our lack of action in the past - but I probably can't answer the question on this - comes down to a general attitude towards taxpayers, which is a lack of respect for our money. It's been treated like it's never-ending for too long. We've simply handed out to all without actually really requiring them to pay it back. We say you've got to pay it back, but we don't actually mean it. And this is not a historic problem - it's a current problem. A recent case in point is the small business COVID loans that were handed out by Grant Robertson in 2020. Unsecured, right? They are now due to be repaid. At least $800 million is outstanding and a lot of that will never be repaid. We have to get used to that idea. We handed it out and we're not gonna get it back. It is probably too much to wish for - but wouldn't it be great if we could carry on getting money back like the IRD are with student loans at the moment? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Public Service Minister has confirmed she's committed to cutting public service diversity requirements. Minister Judith Collins is looking to bring a draft bill to Cabinet in July, to remove diversity requirements when hiring chief executives. It would also remove their responsibilities to promote diversity.  Collins says these requirements are holding the public service back - and she's looking to ensure the right people are hired for the job. "We're also hearing from public servants that they like to think that they are employed on merit, not based on little boxes that have been ticked." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Auckland Councillor is apologising for voting to progress a joint-management approach for the Waitākere Ranges.  The proposal allows Te Kawerau a Maki to be represented on the joint iwi, Crown and Council board. Waitākere Ward Councillor Ken Turner says he doesn't support it - but voted for it so it would go to public consultation. He says he was under the false impression more diverse options would be included.  "They were in the executive summary, they were in the analysis and advice - and I did not realise they were not in the resolution until two months later." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Hollywood-backed football club is coming to play in Wellington. Welsh side Wrexham AFC's taking on Wellington Phoenix FC at Sky Stadium in July - one of three Australasian matches set to take place. It's owned by movie stars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds. WellingtonNZ's Heidi Morton says she expects the game will sell out. "Not only because this is going to be a fantastic, friendly football match, but also the entertainment draw with the Welcome to Wrexham show." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's belief that injecting taxpayer dollars into venture capital comes with high risks. The Government's putting $100 million into the Elevate fund - which supports small business start-ups.  It's diverting $61 million from its yearly Super Fund contribution, topped up with $39 million from the Budget. The Taxpayers Union's James Ross says commercially viable businesses wouldn't need propping up by the Government. "The fact that the Government is having to do that just proves how high-risk these investments are - and it proves the risks that the taxpayers are being exposed to." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming could face charges if pornography allegedly found on his work computer is deemed objectionable.  He'd been suspended on full pay since December during a separate criminal investigation, during which it's understood porn was allegedly discovered on a device.  McSkimming has now resigned. NZ Herald investigative reporter Jared Savage says the term 'objectionable material' is subject to interpretation.  He explained it generally refers to content involving sexual violence, horror, and cruelty.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon says Labour is spreading lies about Government pay equity changes. Legislation rushed through under urgency last week cancels ongoing claims of gender-inequity in pay - and raised the bar for applying. Opposition leader Chris Hipkins spoke on social media saying the Prime Minister's taking money out of women's pay packets. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Chris Hipkins has dug his heels in over his position - but it feels like a leap. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sussan Ley has been appointed the new leader of Australia's Liberal Party - making her the first woman to take on the role. She beat out rival Angus Taylor 29 votes to 25 in a tight contest. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says she's got decades of political experience to her name, but certain sections of the voting bloc might not be too enthusiastic.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pair of key Warriors are in line to return for Saturday's NRL clash against the Dolphins in Brisbane. Co-captain James Fisher-Harris is set to come back from a pectoral injury, while Roger Tuivasa-Sheck's recovered from a hamstring issue. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland won't be scrapping its green food scrap bins any time soon. Whanganui District Council is dropping its kerbside service to save a 1.5 percent rate increase. Local Government Minister Simeon Brown believes Auckland could do the same. It costs much more to offset carbon with food waste bins - than the carbon credits system. Auckland Council Waste Solutions general manager Justine Haves says the service reduces landfill waste. "We regularly hear from communities that they don't want more landfills, so in order to achieve that, we need to achieve waste minimisation."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is ready to personally meet with Vladimir Putin on Thursday to discuss ending the war. This comes after Donald Trump demanded Ukraine agree to Putin's offer of direct talks between the two countries in Turkey. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US and China have agreed to slash their reciprocal tariffs by 115 percent for 90 days. Washington imposed a 145 percent tariff on Chinese imports at the start of the year - and Beijing responded with a 125 percent levy on some US goods. But this weekend's trade negotiations between US and Chinese officials in Switzerland appear to have gone well.  Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Time is running out for businesses who took out a Covid Small Business Cashflow Scheme. It's five years today since Inland Revenue introduced the loans. They were issued to more than 129,000 businesses and totalled $2.4 billion. The IRD says they're now reaching their cut-off point, and default loans not paid in full will be enforced. ABC Business Sales managing director unveils how many businesses are still owing - and by how much. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Josie Pagani from Child Fund joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day -  and more! Andrea Vance's piece in the Sunday Star Times calling female Government MPs the c-word and accusing Nicola Willis of 'girl math' has copped some backlash. What did we think when we read that? Erica Stanford has been brought on board to figure out how to ban under-16s from social media - what do we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are a lot of remarkable things about that C-word column yesterday, and one of them is that it is still up online, and apparently no one is sorry for this. If you haven't seen this column, let me get you up to speed on this: Yesterday, Sunday Star Times columnist Andrea Vance did something that I would venture no other mainstream columnist has ever done in this country - she called a minister of the Crown a c-word in the newspaper.  She didn't write the c-word out, she wrote it as c....The subject of it was the gender pay equity revamp, the minister was Nicola Willis and Andrea wrote - "turns out you can have it all, so long as you're prepared to be a C...." Now, I don't even know how to start explaining to you how wild it is that that happened yesterday, that Andrea dropped the C-bomb in the Sunday Star Times. That word is the 2nd most banned word on radio. We are not allowed to say it - and if we do, go to town on us and complain because somebody is going to get in a huge amount of trouble, and we will be saying sorry. But at least on the radio, to some extent, I think we have the defence of being able to say - Hey, look, it was the heat of the moment and the words slipped out of my mouth. That is not what happens in newspapers. Words don't just slip out onto the paper, you write it down, you consider it, you rewrite it, you reread it. You make sure that every single word is exactly what you mean to say. Nothing about that is in the heat of the moment. And then you send it to your editors, and your editors read it, and they look at it and they go - yep, that's okay, they can go in the newspaper. And that it what happened. Now, I'm not a prude. I am not offended by swearing, I swear myself, and I have also done exactly what Andrea has done. I have said things about ministers that I shouldn't have said, and I've regretted and I've apologized for it. But this is out of hand, what has happened here. There has to be some decorum. I mean, we can hardly complain about anonymous trolls on social media attacking our female politicians when our very own columnists do it in print with their names attached to it. And reverse this, by the way, if you're not offended by it: Imagine it was Jacinda. Imagine that a columnist had written this about Jacinda, how much outrage that would have caused, how cancelled that person would have been. There were other c-words we weren't allowed to say about Jacinda. Cindy was one of them, communist was another. And if you said either of them, people would flip out. Well, imagine how people would have flipped out if we'd said the c-word. It is very hard to respect an argument about how Nicola Willis isn't a real feminist in a column that attacks her in the most un-feminist way, right? It uses the most gendered putdown that you can think of. It uses terms like girl math to basically suggest that she can't balance the country's books because she's a woman. Now for the record, I think Andrea Vance is a fantastic journalist and an incredibly incisive opinion writer, and I think that her editor Tracy Watkins is the best at what she does, but this was a mistake and it lets everyone down when we drag the tone down that badly. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister's keeping a cool head, despite being the subject of some colourful language in yesterday's papers.  The Post's Andrea Vance wrote a column on Sunday levelling the c-word at Nicola Willis - as well as Judith Collins, Louise Upston, Nicola Grigg, Brooke van Velden and Erica Stanford in response to the Government's pay equity changes.  Nicola Willis says she's used to criticism and insults as part of politics, but she's voiced concerns about the implications for other women. "I always think about other young women who want to go into politics, and I don't want them to think that it's okay to have their gender weaponised against them - and I don't want any young women to think there's a difference between girl maths and boy maths. It's called maths." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 12 May 2025, Finance Minister Nicola Willis responds to a Stuff journalist who called her the c-word and accused her of doing "girl maths". Act and National are squabbling in public again - this time over the proposed ban of social media for under 16s. Heather asks David Seymour whether he would ever support a ban if it was technically possible. NZ Open boss Michael Glading responds to Ryan Fox' huge PGA Tour win. Plus, the Huddle responds to Andrea Vance's c-word column.   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.

Auckland's mayor is calling for more leadership - and labelling the city's innovation and tech sector 'random'.  Wayne Brown has laid out a to-do list for central Government before it releases its Budget this month.   He wants a tourist bed tax, looser transit visas, and more preparations for major population growth.  Brown says a bed tax would fund bigger projects he has planned for the city - and he's hoping the Government will reconsider one. "We've just had two-thirds of the Aucklanders thinking it's a hell of a good idea to get some funds in to watch big events - and the hoteliers up here think it's a good idea." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a big day in the world of New Zealand golf, as Ryan Fox walks away with another sporting achievement. A playoff victory at the Myrtle Beach Classic in South Carolina makes the 38-year-old just the ninth Kiwi to win on the Tour - and first in a decade. NZ Open tournament director Michael Glading says this is a 'game-changing' moment for Fox. "It's just fantastic for him - he was in a position a couple of years ago where he could have joined the LIV, but he chose to go on the PGA tour because ever since he was a kid, he wanted to play the PGA Tour." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.