Larry Williams Drive

Eden Park has triumphed in its battle to be Auckland's Council's preferred stadium - over building a new facility near the city's waterfront. The council has voted to endorse, in principle, the first stage of upgrading the park, with 17 in favour and two against with one abstention. Eden Park chief executive Nick Sautner says his team is delighted by the vote.  "We've had 125 years of history and tradition, we've had some of New Zealand's most memorable sporting moments - and this decision today is a special day in our history." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Access to timely primary and hospital healthcare has significantly deteriorated.  Health New Zealand's released a Clinical Quality and Safety Review - using data from the past decade. It reveals numbers of people waiting more than four months to see a specialist tripled between 2020 and 2023.  Chief clinical officer Richard Sullivan says Covid played a role and numbers are stabilising. But he says there's a long way to go. He also explained one target is 95 percent of patients waiting less than four months - but we're on about 60 percent, so improving that is a big focus. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Judith Collins says she believes public service productivity has increased under her Government.   It's on track towards the goal of cutting $400 million off contractor and consultant spending - with a forecast it'll cut more than double that figure. The Public Service Minister says it's not a case of just shifting work onto public servants, because the service as whole shrank four percent in the year to June.  "Quite clearly, people are working better - but more people are focused, I think, on delivering better results for taxpayers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Legislation to allow roadside drug testing has recently passed its third and final reading in Parliament - but concerns have been raised. Some fear that people using ADHD medication could be caught out by the new roadside drug tests carried out by police. AA Road Safety spokesperson Dylan Thomsen says testing devices in Australia don't generally pick up on ADHD medication or medicinal cannabis - so it's possible people won't need to worry. "The law is also going to have a medical defence... so if you have a prescription and you're using it as prescribed, you shouldn't be looking at any fines or demerit points even if you did return a positive test."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An electricity substation fire in London that closed Heathrow Airport last week is no longer being treated as a criminal matter. Metropolitan Police have announced there's no evidence to suggest it's suspicious - after briefly bringing in counter-terrorism officers. UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacks the findings of the investigation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

KMD Brands, parent of Kathmandu, Rip Curl and Oboz, has posted a $20 million half-year loss despite growing sales year-on-year, a result the company puts down to struggling consumer confidence and wholesale channels. However, the company believes the momentum is building, with Kathmandu’s sales continuing to improve despite the downturn. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Revenue Minister Simon Watts this month unveiled plans to change the Foreign Investment Fund (FIF) regime to give some foreigners with illiquid investments offshore an additional, possibly more advantageous, way of paying tax. He said the Government would also consider exempting more Kiwis from the FIF rules, which incentivise domestic investment, but can be an administrative nightmare. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacked the current concerns - and explained why people are calling on the Government to go further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! World Athletics will introduce DNA tests for female track and field athletes to prove their sex. What do we make of that? Should the Olympics follow suit? Tauranga Council's coffee bill is sparking criticism - is it outrageous to have a nice coffee machine in the workplace?  Green MP Tamatha Paul is under fire over her criticisms of police - what do we think of this? Were her comments out of line? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Torpedo7’s new owners have revealed a major shake-up to the outdoor sports gear retailer. Tahua Partners plan to close its stores in Rotorua and Auckland's Westgate, then convert 10 of the 16 remaining locations to a new offering called The Outlet. In a statement, it says Torpedo7 will continue to prioritise its online presence and its six flagship stores. Owner Roger Harper says there's a clear gap in the market - and outlet shopping is always popular. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research reveals New Zealand businesses are losing billions of dollars a year as a result of unwell workers pushing through instead of taking time out to recover. In a new report by Umbrella Wellbeing, 'presenteeism' - when employees turn up to work while physically or mentally unwell - has been found to erode productivity and result in costly mistakes from staff. Umbrella Wellbeing Principal Psychologist Dougal Sutherland says 'presenteeism' creates significant costs for employers - but the data is difficult to track.  "It's very hard to count - but an estimate is that it's costing over $40 billion in lost productivity every year in New Zealand." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 26 March 2025, reports claim Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson is about to be dropped by Red Bull - is that the end of his F1 career already?   Why a high school principal is telling parents they need to watch the new Netflix show "Adolescence". Outrage at Tauranga City Council for spending half a million dollars on new coffee machines for its staff. Plus, the Huddle debates Green MP Tamatha Paul's latest crazy idea on the police. 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.

World Athletics has approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine if an athlete is biologically female. The global body's president Sebastian Coe says the decision is further evidence his organisation will protect the women's category in competition. The intention is to have the testing in place for September's world championships in Tokyo. Former Olympian and Otago University Emeritus Professor Dave Gerrard says the science behind the proposed tests is solid - and it's a reliable testing method. "It's used in common medical practice for genetic issues - and to determine the sex of individuals. So it's sound, and it is sound science."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tauranga City Council has copped some backlash after accepting a five-year contract for coffee machines and coffee at a total cost of $470,000. This comes as the council proposed putting parking fees on boaties - sparking outrage from ratepayers. Tauranga Councillor Steve Morris understands why people are outraged by this. "Charity starts at home - and perhaps we could be charging 50 cents or even $1 per coffee from our council organisation to recoup the costs." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Minister says the Government is still fleshing out some sentencing details as new rules pass through Parliament.   Legislation passed today caps judges' sentence discounts at 40 percent.  It also encourages cumulative sentencing for offences done on bail, in custody, or on parole.  Minister Paul Goldsmith says it sends a bad signal if sentences aren't added together.  "We haven't gone so far as legislating that that should always happen every time at this stage, because it does have very, very significant impacts on our prison populations - and our ability to cope with it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Liam Lawson has reportedly been dropped by his Red Bull team - just two races into the Formula One season. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf claim Lawson will be swapped with Yuki Tsunoda for the next race in Japan. Motorsport expert Greg Murphy says meetings have taken place regarding the future of Red Bull's drivers - but no official release has been sent out yet. "Until there's an official Red Bull release, we'll just sit tight and wait and see. It sounds pretty drastic, to be fair - it's been a challenging start for Liam." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Outrageous and 'a load of rubbish' are the Prime Minister's words to describe a Green MP's comments about police. Wellington Central MP Tamatha Paul spoke at an event last week, saying all beat police do is walk around - and throw away homeless people's items. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this makes the Greens look like a laughing stock. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries says the Defence Secretary should be fired over texting war plans in a group chat. Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was accidentally added to a Signal group chat where Pete Hegseth posted plans for attacks in Yemen - two hours beforehand. Jeffries says that threatened national security, and likely violated the law. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says President Trump has attempted to downplay the incident. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Speculation about Liam Lawson's Red Bull future is picking up speed with the Formula One team reportedly dropping the New Zealander ahead of next week's Japanese Grand Prix. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf is claiming Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda is in line to replace Lawson. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Netflix's new four-part crime drama Adolescence has generated acclaim and positive reviews - and it's sparked discussions about online radicalisation and toxic masculinity. The series deals with the fallout after a 13-year-old boy stabs a teenage girl to death - while addressing the factors that can warp young people's perspectives about the world around them. St Kevins College principal Jo Walshe says this series is an 'important' piece of art. "It's something that's going to stimulate an enormous amount of conversation, it's something that is probably going to get through to people in a way that's going to be a lot better than people like me standing up and telling families not to allow their young kids to have social media." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised to fix every pothole in Britain. In an earlier radio interview, Starmer announced plans to provide a 'record amount' of money to local authorities to fill 7 million potholes a year. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Starmer promised to use AI and technology to speed this process up.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.