Larry Williams Drive

Reports indicate the bond market ultimately prompted Trump to pull back on his stream of tariffs. The US President announced on social media that he paused tariffs against 75 countries for 90 days - with China being a notable exception. NZ Herald business editor Liam Dann explained further - and unpacked the market reactions since Donald Trump made his u-turn. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The OCR dropped 25 basis points again yesterday - but many homeowners have wondered why their mortgage rates haven't followed. Many people currently on floating rates have yet to see the impact of the cuts materialise, and there's usually a week-long delay OCR changing and banks following suit with their various mortgage rates. Kent Duston from the Banking Reform Coalition says it's unclear why it takes the banks so long to adjust things. "After all, it's no harder than just hitting the return key on the keyboard. Really, there's no reason why it should not happen on the exact same day that the Reserve Bank lowers the OCR." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New independent research conducted by Talbot Mills reveals only one in three parents have established rules around their kids' social media usage. While the overwhelming majority of New Zealanders believe parents should decide when young people can start using social media, there is also support for intervention and increased education. Make Sense co-founder Holly Brooker says many parents are struggling to keep up with evolving technology. "It's hard to implement that across many different platforms and devices - and often, parents aren't actually that aware of what their kids are doing online." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump today forged ahead with tariffs of 125 percent against Chinese goods - escalating the US-China trade war. Trump’s sweeping tariffs have unsettled the global economy since coming into force over the weekend, and China has vowed to fight back with tariffs of their own. Mahon China Investment Management CEO David Mahon says China won't blink first in the stand-off. "Trump's already blinked on all the other tariffs that he flung at countries quite randomly, so I don't think this is an economic argument. Reciprocal tariffs are another form of self-injury." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Going, going - almost gone. MPs from all parties other than ACT are shutting down the Treaty Principles Bill today, with passionate displays of rhetoric. It's been called, 'embarrassing', 'grubby', and a 'stain on our country' during the debate. Architect of the failed Bill, David Seymour, says he'd be happy to push for a Treaty referendum  in future coalition negotiations.   "That is absolutely a possibility, we wouldn't rule that out. But sooner or later, the logic of this bill is going to prevail." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Treaty Principles Bill is dead, voted down by all parties except ACT - 11 to 112 - before a packed gallery. Fiery moments included Labour's Willie Jackson being kicked out for calling ACT leader David Seymour a liar. The Speaker reminded people multiple times not to clap, sing, or interject during speeches - in which the Bill was labelled 'embarrassing', 'grubby', and a 'stain on our country'. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper recapped a memorable day in the House. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, stocks have surged after an earlier crash brought about by Donald Trump's new tariffs.  The ASX climbed more than 6 percent in early trade, while on Wall Street the S&P 500 climbed 9.5 percent. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this has prompted calls from economic experts to cut the OCR ahead of the Reserve Bank's next meeting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The race for Joey Manu's signature on both sides of the Tasman - across both oval-ball codes - appears on. The Sydney Morning Herald reports the former Rooster - poised to leave Japanese rugby club Toyota for France in the coming months - now wants out of that Racing 92 contract on compassionate grounds. The report suggests Manu's considering a return to either Sydney or New Zealand. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trump's tariff backdown proves that Nicola was right and Barbara was wrong. Willis took the cool, calm, collected approach. Take advice, watch closely, don't react with haste, don't spook the horses even more. Trump's already doing that. Barbara Edmonds and Labour were hitting the panic alarm - firing off a press release yesterday saying that this is a crisis and that we need to up spending. Borrow more. Bigger Government will save the day. Which is nuts. Premature and nuts. Barbara came on this show last night and said Willis was sitting on her hands while the world crumbled around her. Earlier in the week, Hipkins said we needed to stand up to Trump a bit more - how's that working out for China? The last thing we need is self-serving politicians, or former politicians in the form of Phil Goff, grandstanding for their bash-the-bully-moment on television. This is the time for quiet diplomacy. It's time for your Winstons' and Rosemary Banks types - she's our Ambassador to Washington - get them out there. The b

A US markets analyst suspects Donald Trump is trying to buy time by lowering tariffs on most countries to a blanket 10 percent for 90 days. But the US President's hiked them for China - to 125 percent. Scott Shellady says 75 countries are reportedly seeking an audience with the President.  "The 90 day pause is so he can get through the backlog of countries that said they want to do a deal." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, the Government could potentially nationalise British Steel as fears grow that the company's blast furnaces in Scunthorpe could run out of raw materials within days. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has sought to reassure workers at the Lincolnshire plant that the Government is looking towards nationalisation as a potential solution.  UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the UK is set to be hit hard amid the ongoing trade war - which could ripple out to many businesses. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is keeping a watching brief internationally as Donald Trump's new tariffs kick in. The central bank cut the Official Cash Rate another 25 basis points, to 3.5 percent. Banks speedily lowered their advertised rates in response. Milford Asset Management's Remy Morgan explained what the bank will be monitoring going forward. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has introduced legislation that could see more than 150,000 mortgage holders miss out on hundreds of millions in compensation for mistakes made by ANZ and ASB. The Government wants to ensure lenders are not disproportionately punished if they fail to disclose all the right information about a product to their customers. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains what this could mean for the banks - and homeowners.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Jack Tame from Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Reserve Bank has cut the OCR, and Labour is advocating for Government to step up and do its bit by spending more. Is there really a case for this? UOA researchers found that higher EV uptake has actually been linked to increased emissions - because we're still using energy to charge them. What do we make of this?  Benjamin Doyle has explained that they only ever referred to themselves when using the word 'bussy'. They're not going anywhere - but they've voiced disapproval with the hate and threats. Is this the end of the whole saga? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been suggestions we need to move away from relying on pine trees to offset our emissions. The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment recently put out a report examining forestry drivers in New Zealand - and says we need to phase out the current approach to forestry. David Norton from Pure Advantage says we can't offset our way out of a climate emergency - and we need to work on reducing CO2. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 9 April 2025, the Reserve Bank has dropped the OCR by 0.25%. Westpac chief economist Kelly Eckhold tells Ryan we could see interest rates come down significantly if the trade situation turns ugly. Labour's Finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds says the Government should be doing its job and supporting the economy better during these difficult times. The Government has pledged to put use wool rather than synthetic fibres in new Government buildings and the industry is stoked. Plus, Ryan comes under fire for something he said about his nana. 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.

So the Reserve Bank did the predictable thing today and cut 25 basis points. Good news for mortgage holders, good news for the economy, more money in our pockets and more money to spend.  Of course it's not going to change the world, it's a quarter of as percent on the wholesale rate. And the wholesale rate is only makes up a portion of the bank's rate. And the bank's rate only matters if you haven't already fixed. And so far, the banks haven't budged on fixed rates, only floating. The banks' swap rates are most important here - and there's talk they could fall further too, so we could get a 4.5 percent rate this year instead of the current 4.99 on two year. Either way,  it's the general direction that we like the sound of. Loosening, lowering, the direction of travel - to steal a term from Jacinda - is good. And our disposable income is going up. Great. But of course, the question then becomes - will we actually spend it? Are we now so worried about trigger-happy Trump and his tariffs tha

Labour's finance spokesperson has accused the Government of 'sitting on its hands' amid an economically turbulent week for the world. Barbara Edmonds has criticised Nicola Willis' response to Donald Trump's tariffs - and accused her of 'complacency' as Kiwis express concerns over their jobs and mortgages. She says the Government needs to look inward and come up with a solution that benefits New Zealanders. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Exporters are scrambling under the sudden imposition of Donald Trump's tariffs.  The President's signature economic policy has taken effect, with US allies and adversaries all facing tariffs.  New Zealand's been hit with the lowest rate -10 percent. Egmont Honey founder James Annabell says the move prompted hasty discussions with US-based buyers. He explained Costco US knew his company couldn't afford to take on the extra cost - so now it's likely US consumers will bear the brunt of it.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's industry celebrations over a directive to use Kiwi wool in Government buildings.  New builds worth more than $9 million and refurbishments costing over $100,000 must use wool where possible from July, meeting a Coalition deal. In January, housing agency Kainga Ora reversed its price-based decision to not use dearer wool products Campaign for Wool's general manager, Kara Biggs, says she's ecstatic. "It will start to create more and more demand - so growers, manufacturers, brands, they will all reap the financial benefits from this decision today." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.