Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves worrying about Donald Trump's trade agenda.  Trump has soared to victory in the US, nailing a historic second presidential term.  He campaigned on introducing up to 20 percent tariffs on global imports - and 60 percent on Chinese imports. Peters says we have a strong case to make ourselves an exception, due to the fairness of our market.  "We pay first-world wages in first-world conditions, we're not an exploitative country that you could bring those sorts of tariffs against without having evidence." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour’s Treaty Principles Bill has been introduced to Parliament today, sparking protests outside the Beehive. The Bill was introduced a full 11 days earlier than expected - and it proposed re-writing and codifying the key principals of the Treaty of Waitangi. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Seymour has launched an online campaign following the backlash and encouraged Kiwis to make their opinions heard. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An available-again Ethan de Groot has been unable to break into the All Blacks 23 for Saturday's test against Ireland. The loosehead specialist has been left out, despite having served his penance for failing to meet team standards last week. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what went wrong. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's uncertainty among the Democrats as Donald Trump prepares to take up the White House reins. The Republican Party has attained a decisive victory, winning the presidency with Donald Trump, majority in the Senate - and holding a strong lead in the House of Representatives.  David Litt, a former speechwriter for Barack Obama, says inflation and economic troubles contributed to a difficult environment for the Democrats. "It was really a full-scale shift compared to 2020. I think the biggest thing the Democrats faced was a headwind from inflation - that was a serious problem in the United States."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let me tell you, it was absolutely no surprise to me to see my Facebook friends going crazy over Trump winning the election last night - and there's been plenty of hysterical predictions now that he's won. My absolute favourite one was from my husband, who said that Trump would take us to the brink of war. Hello - the world is already at war, we don't need to be taken to the brink, we're already there.  We've got two significant wars under way in two of the most worrying parts of the world - Europe and the Middle East - and neither of them are because of Trump, they started under Biden. It's got me thinking - we need a bit of perspective here. People are really losing their minds over this. We cannot predict what is going to happen in the future, but we have the past to guide us. So why don't we compare the last time Trump was President with the most recent period under Biden and see who wins at being the real crazy one here. Because as far as I can see, Biden is the one who's been far worse for New Zealand. Sure, Trump introduced the steel tariffs on us and started a trade war with China - but last time I checked, Biden hasn't removed those tariffs and he hasn't ended the trade war with China.  So as far as I can see, they're basically the same as each other on that. Under Biden, two new wars have started, both of which have put prices that we pay in New Zealand up. Under Trump, no new wars were started. My husband was quick to point out North Korea and 'Rocket Man' and how they came close to staring a war - but they didn't. It might have nearly, but it didn't. Nothing happened, despite all the warnings. Trump is too much of a crazy-maker - and other world leaders don't know how far they can push it with him and they suspect they can't, so they don't try at all. That is why Putin invaded Georgia under Bush, Crimea over Obama and Ukraine under Biden - but there were no invasions under Trump. Under Biden - never mind the threat of North Korea maybe doing something, two wars actually did happen. And they are worse than anything North Korea might have done. Under Trump, the withdrawal from Afghanistan was orderly, and under Biden, it was an unmitigated disaster - which he was at the centre of - and it completely undermined America's credibility. So before we get too hysterical about all the bad things Trump could do, how about we remind ourselves about all the bad things Biden did do? Get a bit of a grip, and ask ourselves - what would Trump actually have to do in the next four years to be worse than Biden? Why weren't we as hysterical about Biden? Or is the hysteria just something we reserve for Donald Trump? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To the Treaty Principles Bill. Despite David Seymour's best efforts to pretend that there's absolutely nothing to see here, there is no doubt in my mind that the government is planning to introduce the Treaty Principles Bill tomorrow to try to hide it - because they know full well, we're all going to be completely obsessed and distracted by the US election. They know that if they get it out on Thursday, tomorrow, it's before the planned Hikoi even sets off on Monday. I think that indicates that they're trying to bury the thing and get ahead of everything and it shows how much they hating the heat that they're getting for this. Look, it's politics. I mean, it feels slightly underhand, it feels a little bit cowardly but it's politics. It's an option available to them and you can't really begrudge them for doing it. But I don't even think that's the most interesting thing that's going on here. I think the most interesting thing is that the Waitangi tribunal leaked the fact that the Government was going to do this -apparently within an hour of getting a heads up. How naïve can you possibly be? They are pretty much, at the Waitangi Tribunal, all by themselves making a case for why they should be reformed like New Zealand First wants to do. What they've done here is they have demonstrated just how unbelievably political they now are. They are not a neutral body, right? They're not just a neutral body sitting there doing their job making decisions. They are actively taking on the government of the day because they do not like the government of the day. Now, that is weird to me, especially when it comes to the Treaty Principles Bill because this is a Bill that's going nowhere. The Prime Minister's already said the thing is going to die. He's going to kill it. So why is the Waitangi Tribunal even wasting what credibility they have trying to kill a Bill that's already going to die? It feels like a really weird hill to die on. And if they carry on like this, they are going to die on a hill because they will get reformed by New Zealand First. There will be a point which we're all completely convinced that they're too political like ‘Yeah, it's about time they've already shown their political hand by doing weird things like taking cases to adjudicate on government policy, which is kind of outside their remit and that they're having a crack at the government over this bill before even seeing the bill.’ But I think that this particular leak takes the cake because there are few things more political than a political leak. And by doing this, they have convinced me that they actually do need to be reformed to put them back in their lane. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US election has taken over headlines worldwide, with the UK’s news cycle battling time zones to print the latest in their morning papers.  Meanwhile, the UK government is set to ditch plans to ban smoking in the gardens of pubs and restaurants in England.  And, Queen Camilla has cancelled engagements this week due to a chest infection.  UK correspondent Gavin Grey gives the latest.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kamala Harris will not speak tonight. Donald Trump is making his way towards his headquarters.  NZ Herald Deputy Political Editor Thomas Coughlan is at Harris’ HQ and tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the space has been largely empty throughout the night, and many campaign staff are heading out.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former US correspondent Tim Wilson of Maxim Institute and Auckland Councilor Maurice Williamson, former US Consul General join the Huddle to discuss the US presidential race, the Government’s change of schedule for the Treaty Principles Bill, and calls for a jetski ban at a holiday spot in the Bay of Plenty.  LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 6 November 2024, Donald Trump is on track to win the US election.   Heather speaks to Republican Scott Brown who has been US ambassador in NZ under Trump… but his Democrat counterpart Mark Gilbert is still positive.  Plus, is Jack Tame a bad omen for Democrat candidates?  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.

Trump is leading in swing states and pollster John Zogby tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the “path to victory” for Kamala Harris is narrowing.  Zogby says within her campaign Harris swung the female vote due to fear of abortion laws under a Trump presidency.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac has set tougher climate targets for Kiwi dairy farmers than it has for their Australian counterparts.  The bank wants to reduce the emissions of all dairy farms it finances by 10% by 2030.  To achieve this, the bank has told Australian farmers to get emissions down to 0.85 tons of carbon per ton of milk – but Kiwi farmers must get emissions down even further to 0.75 per ton of milk.  Banking spokesperson for Federated Farmers, Richard McIntyre questions the banks role in setting emissions targets for farmers.  “We’ve already got the Government setting targets for us and we’ve also got our processors, meat companies setting targets for us.”  McIntyre says Kiwi farmers are already ahead in their efficiency gains compared to Australia.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand business wait with bated breath to find out who will become president in the US.  It currently seems that Trump will take the win. He has promised big tariffs on goods from overseas.   Former Trade Minister and former NZ ambassador to the US Tim Groser tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the Democratic party’s cardinal mistake was fronting a candidate that was “never going to succeed in presenting herself as a candidate for change”.  Groser says Trump will try to move ahead with tariffs quickly, but there are problems he will be completely unaware of – like the pass-on effect of cost to American consumers.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unemployment rose less than expected in the September quarter – from 4.6% to 4.8%.  This comes slightly below the financial market expectation of 5%.   Infometrics CEO and Principal Economist Brad Olsen tells Heather du Plessis-Allan there are still a lot of challenges.   Olsen believes this does not affect any hope of a 75 basis point cut but does create a significant dampener.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Democrat and former US ambassador to New Zealand Mark Gilbert is at Howard University, Kamala Harris’ election night headquarters where she is expected to speak very soon.  Gilbert tells Heather du Plessis-Allan this is not to be a concession speech – instead it is scheduled to follow the polls called in the West Coast.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The votes continue to be counted, and it is looking like an uphill battle for Kamala Harris.  Donald Trump leads in all swing states except Nevada.  US political commentator and former Senate debate moderator Dominic Carter tells Heather du Plessis-Allan Kamala Harris has not been an ideal candidate for the Democrat party and has not resonated the way she was expected to.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The New York Times is calling Donald Trump as the likely winner of the US election, projecting 297 Electoral College seats.  Only one President in history has returned to the White House after a break, rather than serving consecutive terms.   Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper reminds Heather du Plessis-Allan the Democrat vote often comes in late – and there are lots of votes still to be counted.  Plus, the Waitangi Tribunal are being accused of leaking the change in schedule to the Treaty Principles Bill’s introduction to Parliament. The Bill will now be introduced on Thursday, more than a week earlier than originally planned.  Soper says the Waitangi Tribunal needs to reflect on its position within the backlash that has since ensued.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crucial battleground states are flip-flopping between blue and red as ballots pile up.  Former US ambassador to New Zealand Scott Brown believes Donald Trump will turn the key states red.  Brown tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that what is different in this election is Trump’s rise amongst Latino, Hispanic, and Black Americans. Kamala Harris’ late entrance to the race and avoidance of hard-pressing interviews has affected the voter turnout.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has brought forward the introduction of the Treaty Principles Bill. The legislation will be introduced to Parliament on Thursday, more than a week earlier than expected. A planned country wide protest against the bill is still going ahead next week as planned, in which ahīkoiwill travel from the top of the North Island and from Bluff in the far south to arrive at Parliament in Wellington. The Government is facing accusations that the change in schedule is to undermine the hīkoi. David Seymour, the Minister responsible for the Bill, tells Heather du Plessis-Allan scheduled introductions to Parliament are changed often and the changes usually go unnoticed. “Sometimes you get things done early, you go early.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US election is ticking into its last hours.  As voters are putting pen to paper, conflicting views on key priorities will set a challenge for whoever ultimately wins.  Host of TVNZ’s Q&A and Newstalk ZB’s Saturday Mornings, Jack Tame is at Kamala Harris’ election headquarters at Howard University and tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the mood is not yet dark, despite Trump showing an early lead.  Across counties like Michigan and Wisconsin, Harris is not performing as well as Joe Biden did in the previous election, suggesting Harris may not be in the strongest position.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Let me get you up to speed on what is happening in the US election. At this point, it is still really early. There's a lot yet to happen, but it's feeling a hell of a lot like it could be Trump's night. The New York Times has just started forecasting a Trump win. They are running a needle on their site, and it basically swings one way or the other depending on how things are going at the moment. It is leaning to Donald Trump and it's giving him a 69% chance of winning this election. None of the seven swing states have been called just yet, but he is probably going to win - at least according to the New York Times - Georgia, he's got quite a lead there. So, I say they'reprobably right and North Carolina to swing states now, potentially he will win a lot more than the polls were predicting, depending on how things are going. Now, a couple of other things have also gone his way already.He's won Florida. Florida, to be fair is historically a swing state, but since he's been in the running in 2016 it’spretty solidly been a Trump state. The interesting thing here is that the Democrats were talking about the possibility that they could flip Florida over the abortion issue there. That hasn't happened. He has won it by a huge margin. If that is a sign of the mood of the country at the moment, he will be very happy by the end of tonight.He's also won Ohio again, a Trump state like Florida used to be a swing state but has been his since 2016 again, won it by a big margin. Now, as I say, really early days - he is absolutely ahead in the electoral college vote. And every single outlet that I've had a look at is as counting him like 80 votes higher than Kamala Harris. But that is to be expected. There usually is what they call a red mirage really early in the evening where they get a lot of votes coming in for the Republicans and then Democrats catch up later on. Nothing surprising has happened at the moment.Neither side has actually managed to flip a state against the other. But so far two swing states and two signal states have gone for Trump and early on it feels like it's going his way. We're going to keep you posted throughout the show. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US election results will start flooding in tomorrow - and UK officials are weighing up the implications of a Trump or Harris victory. Donald Trump winning his second term in office is a point of concern for some, with many worried about Trump pulling the US out of NATO and driving up tariffs. UK correspondent Enda Brady says there's also fears about what a Trump presidency could mean for the Russia-Ukraine war as well. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meat and wine exporters are scrambling to get a handle on the possibility of higher tariffs in a key market if Donald Trump wis the presidency. The Republican presidential candidate has threatened tariffs of at least 20 percent on all imports to pay for tax cuts and increase jobs in the US. The Country's Jamie Mackay says producers won't want to shoulder the extra costs that could come with these changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank has warned the economic downturn is expected to get worse before it gets better, with unemployment being expected to worsen. The bank's biannual Financial Stability Report says unemployment will peak at 5.4 percent by 2025. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says there are better economic times on the horizon - but there'll be 6-9 months of pain first.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inland Revenue has admitted to providing Facebook owner Meta with the names, addresses and other contact details of 268,000 taxpayers in 'raw' unencrypted form. This news comes after an investigation into the IRD's use of social media companies to target taxpayers. Queenstown employment relations consultant and initial complainant David Buckingham was surprised by this development. "I did actually think they had some pretty good processes around at least hashing it - that wasn't really the focus of my initial complaint."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! It's Melbourne Cup day - what did we think of the big race? And more importantly, is a $10 office sweepstake too much? Prime Minister Chris Luxon is under fire after apparently failing to look over his brief regarding bootcamp providers and their right to restrain young detainees. What do we make of this?  One more sleep to go until US election day - what are our final predictions? Will we even find out tomorrow night?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 5 November 2024, on the eve of the US election, Democrats are "nauseously optimistic" and Donald Trump is telling voters he's going to win in a landslide. A very unlikely winner takes out the big prize at the Melbourne Cup - but how much is too much when it comes to price of the office sweepstake? The Prime Minister is under pressure for not being across his brief on the issue of his bootcamps for young criminals. Plus, the Huddle puts in their final bets ahead of US election day. 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.

Students looking for summer work are struggling to land roles, as there's enormous competition for entry-level roles. Retail NZ says businesses are seeing a 'much higher calibre' of potential applicants looking for jobs. Swivel Careers founder Kate Ross says even people with full qualifications are finding it tough to land the right roles. "There's just not enough work out there right now. The economy has been slow all year - the opportunities, even for retail and hospitality, that's all slowed down and that's generally where students out of school get their weekends in there." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's suggestions that public servants should be allowed to use Uber and other rideshare services over taxis to save money. ACT has written to new Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche - calling for more ways to improve value-for-money. ACT MP Todd Stephenson says there are inconsistent rules across the public sector - and everyone should be allowed to expense a rideshare service if needed.  "We're not making people do it, but saying - yes, you're allowed to use a rideshare service like Uber." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's criticising the Prime Minister regarding his knowledge of legislation on bootcamps.  The Government is crafting law to allow the use of force for restraining youth offenders at the military-style academies. The Prime Minister has said he wasn't aware there were suggestions force could be used.  Labour MP Willow-Jean Prime says that's not okay. "It is deeply concerning that the Prime Minister is not across the details of one of the key National Party election policies, which is boot camps." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are making their final pushes for the presidency on the eve of election day. Harris is spending the day in the largest battleground state, Pennsylvania, and Trump's turned his attention to North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan.  NZ Herald deputy political editor Thomas Coughlan is in Pennsylvania. He says everyone seems confident - but it's not over until it's over. "At the moment, it looks like all the races and all of the swing states will be close - and tomorrow night will be fairly inconclusive."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Peeni Henare is calling for an inquiry into a police raid in Ōpōtiki on properties with ties to the Mongrel Mob, with arrests and asset seizures. There've been accusations women were strip-searched and a three year old child was left alone.  Police Minister Mark Mitchell denies children were left alone - and questions the claim of strip searches.  ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper wonders why Henare is calling for this move. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's still no relief for Australian homeowners as the RBA leaves rates unchanged at 4.35 percent. This decision falls in line with expectations from economists - as the nation grapples with the impacts of high inflation. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says it's looking more likely the Reserve Bank will not start cutting rates until 2025. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Breakers are celebrating their latest victory after Monday night's basketball blowout. They have consolidated top spot on the Australian NBL basketball ladder after dispatching hosts Melbourne United 113-79. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacked this victory further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2024 Melbourne Cup is upon us- and it's a big day for gambling fans. The TAB says this is one of the biggest days for the platform, with Kiwis projected to spend up to $30 million on betting. Racing commentator Mick Guerin says there's three Kiwi-trained horses in the mix - but they're long-shots to win. "We lose a lot of our best talent, much like we do with rugby players going to France or England. We lose people because of the market share and the economics of it, so we don't always have our best horses racing in the Melbourne Cup." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Spain, efforts have begun to search an underground carpark in Valencia - where authorities fear may more be dead after last week's flash flooding. The deadliest flash flood in modern Spanish history has killed over 217 people so far, with dozens more still unaccounted for. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says angry crowds have confronted King Felipe VI and thrown mud in protest of the 'woeful' response to the disaster.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

48 hours ahead of the US presidential election, financial markets are gearing up for a Trump victory. Polls indicate the election result will be close, and some experts are warning people not to adjust just yet. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly unpacks the potential financial implications ahead of election day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new survey from Kiwibank reveals a majority of Kiwis think owning a home is crucial to getting ahead in New Zealand - but many feel locked out of the market. Over two-thirds of non-owners feel pessimistic about home ownership, with millennials in particular believing they won't get on the property ladder. Kiwibank CEO Steve Jurkovich says people aged 30 to 44 have seen house prices surge the most over their lifetimes - and they feel the most overwhelmed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Josie Pagani from Child Fund and Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 48 hours to go until the US election - who do we think is going to win? Kamala's pulling ahead in the polls, but is this victory guaranteed?  Brian and Hannah Tamaki were in court today over their Covid-19 rule breaches during the 2021 lockdown. Should the pair be punished - or should the charges be waived by this point?  Prime Minister Cjris Luxon is under fire after calling voters 'customers' in a sit-down interview. Is this an embarrassing mistake - or should he own the corporate-speak? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 4 November 2024, US pollster Henry Olsen tells Heather whether the shock poll from Iowa could spell bad news for Republicans in other swing states - and his gut feel on the election result. Finance Minister Nicola Willis weighs in on whether Chris Luxon should have called voters 'customers'. Principals and parents in Hawke's Bay are up and arms that the Ministry of Education is axing the school bus for kids from Clive. Plus, The Huddle weighs in on the US election. Why do Josie and Trish think Kamala has got this? 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 Finance Minister says Chris Luxon's description of voters in a recent sit-down interview was a 'slip of the tongue' as part of his corporate background. In a new episode of 30 with Guyon Espiner, the Prime Minister referred to voters as 'customers' - and defended claims that he was out of touch with New Zealanders  Nicola Willis says Luxon is focused on delivering results above all, and he knows New Zealanders are New Zealanders. "I reckon New Zealand has bigger challenges than whether or not the Prime Minister describes people as customers."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister has defended deporting 11 Vietnamese nationals, believed to be part of an organised crime group, after a major drug bust. The operation targeted 30 rented Auckland properties. About 3000 plants were destroyed, along with 48 kilograms of dried cannabis - valued at $18 million. But Mark Mitchell says deporting looked to be less of a hassle than going through the courts. "They were here illegally, they were going to be a big cost to the taxpayer - the police and Immigration worked together, they had discretion around this and they thought the best thing to do was put them on a plane straight back to Vietnam." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is trialling an intensive maths tutoring programme to pick up students falling behind. It'll run over the first two terms of next year, for about 2,000 Year 7 and 8 pupils. The trial will use small-group tutoring and supervised online tuition for 30 minutes, up to four times a week. Education Minister Erica Stanford says it's the first of its kind.  "This is going to be a hybrid model, where we have some young people learn in groups of four just with a tutor - and then we'll have a hybrid model where we've got that happening, plus some online learning using a maths programme."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's high expectations for a lawyer's tactics in defending Brian and Hannah Tamaki.  The pair are facing court over organising protests in Auckland during Covid-19 lockdowns. Brian Tamaki faces four counts of breaching the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act, with possible penalties of up to six months in prison and thousands in fines.  Lawyer Steve Cullen says it'll be interesting to see what arguments are mustered by experienced defender, Ron Mansfield. He says Mansfield could argue the case under freedom of assembly or freedom of religion provisions in the Bill of Rights Act.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon raised a few eyebrows after he called voters 'customers' in a sit-down interview. Luxon later clarified to RNZ that he didn't need to scrap the corporate speak - and defended the claim that he was out of touch. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says voters should be encouraged to expect things from politicians - and the terminology doesn't matter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's questions whether polls from Iowa will affect Republicans on election day. Donald Trump previously won the state in 2016 and 2020 - but is three percentage points behind Democratic candidate Kamala Harris  Political analyst Henry Olsen says those figures seem out of step with Iowa's usual trend. "I can see Trump doing a little worse, but it's hard to see Trump losing a state that he carried by 8 points in 2020." Olsen is predicting Trump will re-enter the White House. More than 78 million Americans have already cast votes ahead of polling day on Wednesday, New Zealand time. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most Australian politicians and their staffers have opted to fly Qantas, despite rules stating the cheaper fare must be chosen. Virgin Australia has raised concerns - and pointed out the preference for the pricier airline is costing taxpayers tens of millions of dollars every year.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Virgin's services leave a lot to be desired - and they don't offer several key routes.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland FC are jubilant after becoming the second team in history to win their first three franchise A-League games. A critical error from Wellington Phoenix keeper Josh Oluwayemi saw Jake Brimmer grab his first of two in the Kiwi derby in the Capital. Sportstalk host Jason Pine recaps the season further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest thing that isn't a big deal but will have a big deal made of it - because it's the Prime Minister - is that Chris Luxon has called us voters 'customers'. He did it in a sit down interview where he was asked about being seen as out of touch, and he was saying he was because he talks to people all the time. He said -“It’s been a belief system of mine, talk to the customer, to the public, to the people and the voters." At which point the interviewer basically told him to ditch the corporate speak. I don’t have a problem with this, do you? This is not a big deal. When I was at university studying postgrad politics, we often referred to voters as stakeholders. As in stakeholders in the Government of the day. That's a corporate term, that's not unusual. It's also not unusual to see voters in a transactional relationship with a political party. If anything, it's actually not a bad thing for politicians to see us as customers - customers who will only come back for more from a political party if we get what we want. Policies that we like, promises that are delivered and not broken, and so on. What's the problem for a voter in that? You vote for a party, you get what you want. That is arguably the opposite of what the last Labour Government was doing pretty much the entire time on, for example, crime. We kept saying, as customers - we don’t like what we’re getting, can you go harder on the gangs? And they kept responding with - you’re imagining it, you're wrong, we're going hard on the gangs. They might have had a better showing at the last election if they remembered the mantra- the customer’s always right. And many ‘customers’ didn’t come back for more. Also, Luxon needs to stop apologising for the corporate speak. Bringing a corporate approach is part of some of the best stuff that he’s done - and doing. His quarterly targets for the Government, managing the various parts of the coalition, trying to get efficiencies out of the public service...he's a manager, he just needs to lean into it. Yes, sometimes you want less transaction and more principle in politics, but ultimately - Luxon's onto something. He's a guy selling us a product and his product is the National Party. We are the customers and we want what we want out of the National Party. Being seen as customers is not a bad thing. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A school bus service that has operated in Hawke's Bay for the last two decades has been cut by the Education Ministry - impacting plenty of students, parents and educators. The Ministry has cut the Clive school bus service after a review, claiming there were public buses the students could use instead. Havelock North Intermediate principal Nigel Messervy says the public bus route would be a longer one for students  and they wouldn't get back to Clive until 5pm. "In some cases, those children are then walking to their homes - which might be up to a couple of kilometres away. That's a massive day." Havelock North High School principal Joel Wilton agrees the longer commute time doesn't seem appropriate.  "I think a lot of parents are finding it pretty difficult in the current situation, even with public transport or school transport available to them - and this is kind of another hurdle." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.