Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Confusion reigns between Netball New Zealand, the Silver Ferns captain and the country's star player on eligibility criteria for the national team. The issue has resurfaced with shooter Grace Nweke currently ineligible for the Ferns because she's playing for New South Wales in Australia's Super Netball competition. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the ongoing discussions. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Starmer has announced plans are in place to crack down on international students applying for asylum in the UK in a bid to address migration figures. An immigration white paper setting out the proposed reforms in mid-May will include measures to reduce the number of UK students making asylum claims after their visas expire. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Nigel Farage's Reform Party is gaining popularity - and the Government is looking to push back. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New figures from Stats NZ show livestock numbers have dropped substantially over the past decade. The total number of sheep dropped by 21 percent and the total number of dairy cattle also fell by 13 percent over a 10-year period. The Country's Jamie Mackay unpacks what could be causing these drops. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government will make major savings over the coming years by outperforming on its housings goals.  Last year, it aimed to reduce the number of people in emergency housing by 75 percent in 2030 compared to December 2023.  However the target was achieved before the end of last year.  Infometrics Principal Economist explains what this could mean for the upcoming Budget. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!   The Government is overhauling the pay equity system - restricting future claims and stopping all 33 current claims. The changes will be rushed through under urgency this week. Do we think this is the right move? National has outlined plans to ban social media for under-16s - do we think this is a good idea? More Government ministers have admitted to using Gmail for Government tasks - is this a bad look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 6 May 2025, a dicey call from the Government... today scrapping all current pay equity claims and overhauling the system. Workplace Relations Brooke van Velden tells Heather the move will save billions. The former boss of Facebook New Zealand Stephen Scheeler reacts to National's plan to ban social media for under 16s. Victoria University law students will have to do their upcoming three hour exams by hand - because the university can't shut down AI on their laptops. Plus, the Huddle gets fiery on pay equity and Ministers using emails. 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.

That decision today to stop all those pay equity claims is ballsy - I mean, you know, ballsy is good - and I think I lean towards thinking this is the right thing to do. Those pay equity claims have been a bit random. I don't know if you know how this works, but basically, if people can prove that they're underpaid because they work in women-dominated jobs, then they can get a pay rise. And how they prove this is by finding men who are doing a similar job and then showing that there is a difference in pay. But the problem is, it really isn't. It isn't comparing apples with apples, it's often apples with oranges. For example, librarians. Librarians are currently trying to get a pay rise by comparing themselves to traffic engineers. Now, no disrespect whatsoever to librarians, but the Dewey Decimal System is not that hard. I'm pretty sure that most of us could learn to do it and become librarians in about 20 minutes flat. I think it takes a little bit longer to train up as an engineer who specializes in designing and planning and constructing and operating and maintaining a transport system. And the same goes with the admin health staff who are trying to compare themselves to mechanical engineers, and the same goes with the social workers who are trying to compare themselves to air traffic controllers. You can see the trouble here, right? Now, from what I understand, what Brooke van Velden has done today is going to save the country billions of dollars - in the Budget that we're getting in 2 weeks' time. Apparently, this is one of, if not the single biggest savings in the Budget. And apparently over 4 years, it counts for something higher than $10 billion. That is a significant amount of money. And as we know, the country is financially stuffed. However, someone will pay for this, and it's going to be the Government. They will be punished for this in political capital in the years to come, because this attack basically writes itself. Heartless Government takes money from underpaid working women - and that is why it is so ballsy, because the pay equity system is clearly, when you look at the detail, deeply flawed. I mean, it's a lovely idea, let's pay women more, but the system that we use to do that is deeply, deeply flawed and obviously needs this overhaul - but the politics of it is gonna be very, very rough. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NZME’s likely new chairman Steven Joyce says he hopes to unify the media company’s shareholders as much as possible, following two months of heated debate over the company’s performance and editorial endeavour. Joyce, a National Party Cabinet minister for three terms from 2008 and an experienced commercial media businessman, was today confirmed as a board nominee for NZME. Spinoff founder Duncan Greive says this is a smart manoeuvre.  "If you were going to pick anyone out of this country to tie a bow on this...maybe it's not what everyone wanted, but everyone can live with it - Joyce would be your guy." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is planning a massive overhaul of New Zealand’s pay equity regime - and the New Zealand Nurses Organisation doesn't approve. The reforms will overhaul a 2020 law establishing a regime to allow people in sectors with a large female workforce to argue that they were underpaid relative to similar work done in male-dominated sectors. NZNO chief executive Paul Goulter says these proposed changes are 'disappointing'. "We've called it shameful - and our members are really upset about this, they've been ringing in all day." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Education Minister Erica Stanford is not alone in forwarding Parliament and ministerial emails to her personal account - with Nicola Willis and Chris Bishop revealing they're guilty of similar acts. The Cabinet Manual says ministers should avoid using personal mobile and email accounts wherever possible.  CISO Lens Country Manager Nadia Yousef says Webmail services like Gmail can be safe if you use a strong password multi-factor authentication - but it's not an appropriate tool for Government use. "Long, strong and unique passwords - it's something we talk about all the time and everyone's absolutely sick of hearing it - but they are the silver bullet with multi-factor." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Middle East expert says there's little hope displaced Palestinians can go back to Gaza in future under Israel's latest plan.  Its Security Cabinet is planning to expand military action, move Gazans south - and pressure Hamas to release hostages. Otago University's Dr Leon Goldsmith says Israel says it's waiting for the US President's okay. But he says this is already an 'apocalyptic catastrophe'.  "But I think if they put this plan into place, they will not allow Palestinians freedom of movement back towards the North." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Victoria University's upcoming law exams will be laptop-free - in a defence against using AI to cheat. Law dean professor Geoff McClay told pupils yesterday they'll be hand-writing their three-hour exams in June. One student has told The Post their grade will suffer, because they're out of practise at writing and can type faster. AI education expert Danny Bedingfield agrees written tests are the best way to stop cheating. "You would like to think that you've got digital tools that will predict or be able to detect this - but unfortunately, there's nothing reliable out there at the moment." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is urgently pushing through new legislation - lifting the threshold for pay-equity claims based on gender discrimination.  The Bill has already passed its first reading supported by all coalition parties and Parliament's moved swiftly onto the second.  These changes have prompted plenty of backlash, but Workplace Minister Brooke van Velden says there was an appetite for these changes. "It became clear to me at the end of last year that there was appetite within my Cabinet to do this - and I think it's pretty clear that there was an impetus, so that's what's making the change." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Te Pāti Māori has been granted a stay of execution from the Privileges Committee - at least until tomorrow. Te Pāti Māori was referred to the Privileges Committee following a haka performed during the first reading of the Treaty Principles Bill in November of last year. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Committee Chair Judith Collins confirmed the decision on Te Pāti Māori's fate has been delayed until 8:30pm on Wednesday - after the next meeting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's Liberal Party is weighing up their options after Peter Dutton's recent defeat in the election. Peter Dutton lost his Queensland seat following Anthony Albanese's landslide victory - and the opposition is looking to bring in a replacement. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Dutton is among over a dozen Liberals set to lose their seats after the election - and the party's been reducing to a 'smoking ruin'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's motorcycle racing community is remembering Shane Richardson as a fierce and passionate competitor. The 29-year-old father of two has died in an 11-bike crash in the first lap of the British Supersport Championship. An English 21-year-old also died and another rider was badly injured. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave weighed in on the collision. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is hoping to get bipartisan support for banning under-16s from social media. MP Catherine Wedd is putting the Member's Bill proposal in to Parliament's Biscuit Tin - the repository for such bills that are then randomly selected. It follows similar to moves in Australia, and puts more responsibility on social media companies. Former Facebook CEO for Australia and New Zealand, Stephen Scheeler, says social media is difficult to regulate - and there's lots of ways to get around a potential ban. "We've all been teenagers before - you're not supposed to buy alcohol or buy tobacco, and many kids get around this...but with social media, it's the same. There's lots of ways to get around these prohibitions." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 5 May 2025, FTA negotiations with India start this week and the Trade Minister is on the show to call for calm as Donald Trump announces 100% tariffs on foreign movies.   40% of retail crime goes unreported and Auckland butcher Reuben Sharples tells Heather the brazen thefts he's experienced in the past couple of days. The eye-watering cost of having a wedding in New Zealand is leading to people inviting fewer people - or even having nobody there at all. Plus, the Huddle debates whether Education Minister is really in trouble for sending hundreds of official documents to her private email - or whether printer problems are sort of relatable. 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.

Eight men, including seven Iranians, have been arrested over two suspected terror plots in England. Five were arrested at various locations around the UK as part of an alleged plot to 'target a specific premises'.  Meanwhile, three men were arrested in London as part of a investigation led by the Met's Counter Terrorism Command. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the suspects have been held overnight for questioning. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's financial markets have taken a positive turn - following months of financial uncertainty.  Greg Smith from Devon Funds unpacked the factors behind these changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Josie Pagani from Child Fund and Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Minister Erica Stanford is in a spot of trouble after it was revealed she sent pre-Budget announcements to her personal email before they were announced last year - one of tens of examples since she's been a Minister. Is this a good look? Should we be concerned?  Mark Mitchell has expressed interest in extending prison sentences to reduce recidivism - do we think this is the right call? Is the Trump effect impacting elections? Speculation claims Australia and Canada voted left in response to Trump's policies. What do we make of this?  A wedding planner says the typical wedding is $87,000 these days - how much is too much? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Westpac New Zealand’s profits are continuing to rise, as it makes more money from existing customers, rather than materially growing its business. The Australian-owned bank’s New Zealand division reported a net profit of $525 million in the six months to March - a 10 percent rise from the same period last year. Westpac CEO Catherine McGrath explains why New Zealand's margins have gone up - despite Australia taking a dip.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says she steers clear of emails - following a recent ministerial scandal.  This follows 1News reports that Erica Stanford sent pre-Budget announcements to her personal email before they were announced last year - one of tens of examples since she's been a Minister.  Her use of personal email could be a breach of the Cabinet manual - which all ministers are obliged to follow. Nicola Willis says she's never really sending emails. "I'm meeting with people face to face or I'm talking to my team and saying - look, could you just make sure that that minister's aware of this. Sometimes we do formal correspondence, letters and the like, but very rarely am I sitting at my keyboard." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister has expressed interest in locking up criminals for longer in a bid to cut down on reoffending. Criminals that serve five years or more in jail are generally less likely to reoffend, according to new reports. Mark Mitchell says he's asked Corrections to examine whether shorter sentences can be extended. "Longer sentences normally mean the people commit to their rehabilitation better, engage in more rehabilitation, and are therefore less risk to the community when they come out."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People are prioritising smaller guest lists as fewer couples marry - according to new reports. Wedding Professional has revealed its average client spend this year is more than $87,000, anchored by an international wedding with a $160,000 dollar budget. Director Suzanne Carson says Kiwis want the great experience, without the price tag for lots of guests. "Personalisation is a great big thing - I think they want the experience and they want the experience for everybody, so I do believe that the numbers have come down." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A focus on 'Australian values' during geopolitical uncertainty could explain the vast gap between the two parties at Saturday's federal election, according to one expert. Labor swept to a majority victory - securing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese a historic second term.  It's widely thought US President Donald Trump's volatility has influenced the outcome.  But political commentator Peter Dunne says Albanese's messages about what Australia wants and needs left an impact.  "That's the kernel of the truth here - talk about the real things and in that environment, people will opt for the thing they know, the certainty and the stability rather than the fear of the unknown." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Kiwi negotiation team is in India this week, holding our first in-person Free Trade Agreement talks. Trade Minister Todd McClay says it's an important step in our relationship with one of the world's fastest growing economies. He says this will be the first of many meetings with New Zealand. McClay explained India is also holding talks with the US, UK, EU and others over this week and the next. "That's why I thought to send our people up - rather than either drag them down here or miss the opportunity to have the very first in-person negotiations." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says it's too early to understand the potential impact of tariffs on New Zealand films.  Donald Trump has most recently written he'd like100 percent tariffs on all movies produced outside the US.  Chris Luxon says he's seen the social media post, but we'll need to know a lot more. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Chris Luxon has expressed interest in getting more Bollywood productions to come to New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The sweeping loss for Peter Dutton's Liberal National coalition in the Australian election likely has long-term implications for the party going forward. Anthony Albanese has become the first Prime Minister since 2004 to win back-to-back elections, with an even larger majority than his last.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says nobody saw this political 'blood-bath' coming for the opposition. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors have gone up the NRL ladder after a heart-stopping 30-26 NRL victory over the Cowboys in the Magic Round in Brisbane. The first five first half tries had the Kiwi side up 28-12 at the break before the Cowboys surged back with three tries in eight minutes. Sportstalk host Jason Pine recapped the action. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A West Auckland butcher says a lot of shoplifting is too small to bother reporting.  A Retail NZ survey has found 40 percent of retail crime goes unreported.  Butcher Reuben Sharples says for small amounts it's not worth the hassle to get CCTV footage together to send police.  He says they only report on bigger robberies, which get a bigger police response.  "We've had break-ins, we've had thousands...around Christmas time, I had 4,000 turkeys stolen." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After Albo’s massive win across the ditch on Saturday, I can see a lot of commentators are tempted to blame it on Trumpism - in the same way they blamed the Canadian election upset on Trumpism. But I'm not convinced they’re right - at least not in the way they think they are.  What these commentators are saying is that Trump has given Canadians and Australians the ick so badly that they voting against anything that looks like him: Dutton in Australia, Poilievre in Canada or just right-wing-ism in general. I don't think that’s what happened here. Look at what’s happening in New Zealand at the moment  - the two parties in our parliamentary system that would probably share the greatest number of policy positions with Donald Trump are NZ First and ACT - and both are polling much higher than they historically have. But also, those commentators seem to be conveniently forgetting what just happened in the UK on Friday night - which is that the Reform Party absolutely swept the local elections in a shock result. Reform, led by Nigel Farage, is probably the closest thing to Trump in the English-speaking world. So as much as the left would like to believe what happened in Australia and Canada is a Trump ick factor that they can pin on the rest of the right - I don’t think it is. I think what’s happened is the same thing that happened with Covid: safe voting. I think Trump and his tariff talk - and the possibility of a massive global slowdown - has freaked out voters in a similar way to how Covid freaked out people. And when people freak out, it favours the incumbent, because it’s better the devil you know to protect you. That's why the Canadians returned their incumbent Government and that’s why the Australians returned their incumbent Government. The same doesn't apply to the UK, because that was a local body election which is about rubbish and roads - not central Government which is about tariffs and healthcare.  So I suspect we shouldn't over egg how much voters hate Trump as much as understand how much he might be frightening them. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 2 May 2025, Heather and Deborah Coddington pay tribute to their good friend, Sir Bob Jones. Jones passed away today after decades as one of the great characters of NZ politics and business for many decades.  There's speculation that Shortland Street might not be coming back next year with TVNZ refusing to confirm that its future.  Former Minister for Women Jan Tinetti goes head-to-head with Heather to convince her that the job of Women's Minister shouldn't be done away with.  Plus, the Sports Huddle debates why Auckland Council isn't just saying "yes please" to a new stadium paid for by billionaires at Western Springs.  Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour is calling for culling of the government.  He’s floated a policy that would reduce the number of ministers and government departments, calling into question the necessity of some.  Racing, Hunting and Fishing, Hospitality, Space, and Child Poverty Reduction were a few he named.  Jan Tinetti is the former Minister for Women and Child Poverty Reduction, and she told Heather du Plessis-Allan the reason these ministries exist is to take a specialised look at issues.  She says that while they are often covered under other portfolios, they would simplify the issues far too much, and we wouldn’t get anywhere in solving them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Court's adjourned for the weekend after day four of the accused mushroom killer trial in Melbourne.  Erin Patterson's estranged husband took the stand once again, presenting a series of texts demonstrating a strained relationship between the accused and his late parents.  Herald Sun reporter Brooke Grebert-Craig told Heather du Plessis-Allan the messages also highlighted the pair's on and off dynamic.  She says they had a friendship going until 2022, when it turned sour over tax returns and child support.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A short term as US National Security Advisor for Mike Waltz, who's been removed from the role by Donald Trump.  Current Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take over the job in the interim, as Waltz has been nominated for Ambassador to the UN.  This comes after he says he inadvertently added a journalist to a Signal group chat, where officials planned military strikes in Yemen.  US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that no one really believes this is a promotion for Waltz.  He believes Trump wanted to avoid the criticism that would come if he fired him altogether, and this has been coming for some time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A passionate author and a man with a sharp wit and unapologetically colourful personality who shaped New Zealand politics.  Sir Bob Jones is being remembered by friends, former MPs, and current political leaders.  The property investor, ex politician, and boxing aficionado died at his Wellington home today at 85, surrounded by family.  Sir Bob grew up in a state house and made his riches in the world of property.   Former Act MP and friend of his, Deborah Coddington told Heather du Plessis-Allan his actions were different from his words, which you shouldn't take too seriously.  She says he was very generous with his money, offering a scholarship for refugees to go to university.  Coddington says he was a realist, who always found the funny side of life.  She describes him as very well read, clued-in about world affairs and politics, and a good writer.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speculation's flying around about the future of Shortland Street.   The prime-time soap opera's lost its head writer to the UK and other staff have reportedly been told to find new jobs.   TVNZ hasn't confirmed the show will return next year.   Former South Pacific Pictures managing director John Barnett says the show scaled back its set and storylines when it transitioned from five days to three days a week.  He told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's also been tough to attract audiences with changes in viewing habits.  Barnett says in the meantime, going to three days a week hasn't been nearly as profitable.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.