Larry Williams Drive

There's excitement among Kiwi food experts and hospo giants about what the Michelin Guide's arrival could do for tourism. Tourism New Zealand is investing $6.3 million to bring the guide to New Zealand, and it's estimated 36,000 more international visitors could be drawn in as a result. Executive chef at Ahi and New Zealand Food Story host Ben Bayly says this move will give the nation's food sector more credibility. "Let's face it, gastronomic tourism right now is huge, people are travelling all over the world to eat food - that is their main driver for coming to countries now." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fire and Emergency NZ is looking into cutting jobs in a bid to save $50 million a year. It says it's in a tightening financial bind, and a significant restructure is on the cards - with consultation documents set to be sent to staff by next week. NZ Firefighters Union national secretary Wattie Watson says Fire and Emergency has already cut a recruit course set to take place in January. "We've got some real worries there - the recruit course that was being cancelled next year in January, that actually impacts on the normal recruiting." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister says he's pleased former Deputy Police Commissioner Jevon McSkimming's pleaded guilty to having child exploitation and bestiality images on work devices. He admitted to three representative charges in Wellington District Court this afternoon.  Court documents reveal the 52-year-old made thousands of Google searches, many seeking AI-generated or cartoon images. Police Minister Mark Mitchell says this result shows no-one's above the law - but this behaviour reflects poorly on the police.  "For every one officer - and it's a big organisation, so you're always going to have some people that don't uphold the standards. But most of our police officers do, they're out there every day, they're doing tens of thousands of positive acts." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Officials warn the $200 million set aside to encourage gas exploration may be too small - with production falling and closure of the ageing Māui field looming. The Government's widening the scope and terms of the commercial co-investment fund. BusinessDesk reports a Cabinet paper released today states the field will stop production, with the rest of the sentence redacted. Resources Minister Shane Jones says he isn't privy to when the closure will happen. "We're suffering a decline in the known reserves from those historically large sites and they're working through the process - it's up to them to identify when it will actually cease." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ex-top cop Jevon McSkimming's admitted to having child exploitation and bestiality images on work devices. The former Deputy Police Commissioner's pleaded guilty to three representative charges of possessing objectionable material in Wellington District Court this afternoon.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacked today's verdict. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, former drug kingpin Tony Mokbel managed to avoid additional time in prison over a drug trafficking conviction.  Mokbel, one of the key figures in Melbourne’s gangland war, was sentenced to 30 years’ jail after pleading guilty to serious drug-related offences in 2012.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says reports have surfaced accusing his lawyer of corruption, prompting an additional investigation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Don't expect wholesale changes mid-evening when All Blacks coach Scott Robertson unveils his side to play Scotland. The Kiwi side is set to face off against Scotland this coming Sunday and the team's hoping to keep up the momentum after beating Ireland. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland Central MP Chlöe Swarbrick has raised concerns with the Government's proposed solutions for rough sleepers - and says they won't solve the actual problem at hand. While details are scarce, reports show the Government and Auckland Council are working on moving homeless people out of public spaces in the CBD for destructive behaviour. Chlöe Swarbrick says it's time to get to the core root issues and invest in sensible solutions.  "Right now, it seems like, really, the only place these people can end up being put is being held overnight in the cells. Again, that doesn't go anywhere near towards resolving the problem." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The BBC is under fire after reports surfaced claiming they misled viewers by editing a speech made by US President Donald Trump in 2021. UK Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch is demanding the staff responsible must be sacked for misleading viewers over Trump's remarks. UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacked the reactions further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr has threatened one of his fiercest critics with legal action. He has compelled a London-based central banking news publication to unpublish an article about his tumultuous resignation, written by a former Reserve Bank senior staffer, turned blogger, Michael Reddell. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US share market took a hit this week, with leading AI companies seeing a decline. Market darlings Palantir and chip behemoth Nvidia were among the big names that saw a drop. Milford Asset Management expert Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, political commentator and lawyer Liam Hehir and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Zohran Mamdani is the new mayor of New York. He built his campaign on appealing to young and working-class voters - what does this say about the future of American politics? The Government will be cracking down on rough sleepers in some form - the details are still unknown. Do we think this is the right move?  The Police Commissioner has written an op-ed to explain that Stuff shouldn't have published audio from the Tom Phillips case - but they're not taking legal action. What do we make of this?  The Government wants Eden Park to host more concerts and events. Do we agree with this?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government recently announced a raft of proposed changes to the Climate Change Response Act and the Emissions Trading Scheme. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts says the Government's focused on reducing domestic emissions and the legislation needs to reflect these standards.  "We're focusing on domestic emissions reduction as the priority." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 5 November 2025, is the Government going to ban rough sleepers from city centres? Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith tries to clarify the position.. you decide whether he did! Unemployment has crept up to 5.3%, Infometrics Principal Economist Nick Brunsdon breaks down the numbers. Eden Park boss Nick Sautner says being allowed to host 20 more concerts would make a huge difference not just for the stadium but for surrounding businesses. New York correspondent Katherine Firkin explains who this new New York mayor is - and why he's so controversial. Plus, the Huddle debates whether the Police Commissioner was wrong to threaten a media organisation publicly. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm baffled by the Police Commissioner writing that open letter telling off Stuff today. You probably missed this thing when it actually happened, which was back in September, but in the week that Tom Phillips was shot and the kids were saved from the bush, Stuff got its hands on some of the audio of the police chase, and they published it. And they got in trouble with the coppers immediately, and then the cops started an investigation into Stuff. Today, the police boss, Richard Chambers has written an open letter in both main newspaper outlets - as in the Stuff guys and the New Zealand Herald, saying the police have decided not to charge Stuff, but don't do this again, it's really, really bad. Now, I cannot explain to you why Richard Chambers thought this was a good idea - because either way you look at this, this is not a good look. I mean, it either looks like he's trying to bully the media into being good boys and girls, or he hasn't got the cojones to actually do the thing that he's threatened and just g

The new mayor-elect for New York City, Zohran Mamdani, is causing quite the stir in the Big Apple - to Donald Trump's displeasure.  The 34-year-old democratic socialist's appealed to young and working class voters in order to secure a landmark win. US journalist Katherine Firkin says Mamdani's landmark win will come as a blow to Republicans. "Of course New York is a Democratic-strong city and we were never going to see Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa elected, but the fact that we have seen someone of Mamdani's stance - someone who is really a polar opposite to Trump in almost every way...really is quite a show of the resistance that's happening at the moment." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data has revealed the media platforms drawing Kiwi kids in, and there's been an unusual trend in the findings. NZ On Air has just released the latest update of the Where Are The Audiences research series, and data shows two in three Kiwi kids are watching YouTube every day, with less reaching for locally made content. NZ On Air's Head of Funding Amie Mills says TVNZ's trying to ensure it's in as many places as it can be in order to reach a solid audience. "It's hard, we don't have a dedicated BBC or ABC in New Zealand, TVNZ is a commercial broadcaster, so they're struggling to survive alongside the other local platforms."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Minister seems confused about whether the Government's considering a blanket ban on rough sleeping in CBDs, as claimed by Labour. Prime Minister Chris Luxon has confirmed today they'll consider orders to let police move-on homeless people in city centres, among options. Minister Paul Goldsmith says they're still working on this - but struggled to answer whether a ban's being considered. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert is warning the job market won't get easier any time soon. The latest Stats NZ data shows the unemployment rate has reached an almost nine-year high of 5.3 percent in the September quarter. That's 160,000 people looking for a job, and another 138,000 wanting more work. Infometrics principal economist Nick Brunsdon says we're on the cusp of a recovery - but not a quick one. "Our forecast is for it to hit 4.6 by the end of next year - and that's not a low unemployment rate by any means. It's still gonna be pretty uncomfortable." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The debate over Eden Park events has reignited, as the Government has proposed letting it almost triple its annual concerts from 12 to 32. It's also recommending more timing flexibility, with the park currently unable to host events on a Sunday - and it's asking Auckland Council for feedback. Eden Park CEO Nick Sautner says they've engaged with the residents in the area to get their views, and they're hoping for a positive outcome. "There's a variety of events that are impacted by our regulations - last Sunday night, we had to apply to Auckland Council at a cost of $15,000 to get an extension to the operating so we could have the league fixture."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.