Larry Williams Drive

The Government's Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update is due to be unveiled to the nation tomorrow, and the Finance Ministers outlined her expectations.  Experts have speculated a projected surplus will be pushed back from 2029 by another year, and Prime Minister Chris Luxon tempered expectations earlier today. Finance Minister Nicola Willis says 'fiscal discipline' will see New Zealand's economy keep growing in the coming months. "Importantly, I also get to update the Treasury's economic forecasts and that's what shows the picture for more job creation, income growth into the future, and people doing better." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police are assuring the public there's no immediate threat of a terror attack in New Zealand.  They're bolstering their presence around Jewish sites after the targeted attack on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney's Bondi yesterday.  A father and son opened fired on a crowd of some 1,000 people - killing 15 and injuring more than 40.  Assistant Police Commissioner Mike Pannett says in these situations, try and escape quickly and quietly, hide, and contact police when safe to do so.   "We will absolutely attend as fast as we can, but as these circumstances have shown over the last day, there is no crime advance warning."   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Film Commission says bringing more film projects to New Zealand isn't as simple as hiking subsidies.  Oscar-winning director James Cameron released his third instalment of the Avatar franchise over the weekend.  However, Cameron says it may well be his last due to industry belt-tightening.  He's called for the Government to revisit the rebate scheme.  CEO of the Film Commission, Annie Murray says production opportunity isn't just about money.  "Yes, they're looking for the best for their bottom line, but they're also looking, first and foremost, for a creative fit. And they're certainly finding that here." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nod of approval for the KidsCan school lunches scheme. A Ministry of Education ECE report shows consistent near 100 percent satisfaction scores for reliability, food safety, and communication. KidsCan CEO Dame Julie Chapman says it costs $2 dollars per meal, on average - under their not-for-profit model. "You're talking 30 to 50 kids, as opposed to, you know, hundreds or potentially thousands of kids. So that bespoke model for early childhood works really well."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Details are emerging about the gunmen behind last night's deadly attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach. 15 people were killed and dozens more were injured after the shooters opened fire into a crowd of people celebrating the first day of Hanukkah. National security expert and Australian National University research fellow Dr Levi West says the father mustn't have raised any alarm bells when he applied for a gun license.  "Associations that your son has with people is not necessarily sufficient to rule you out of measures. The New South Wales state Government is talking about tightening what is some of the toughest gun laws in the world." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's tempering expectations ahead of the Government's books opening this week. The Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update will be unveiled tomorrow - with some economists expecting a projected surplus to be pushed out by another year.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this will be the third time a return to surplus has been pushed out. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Investigations are set to continue into the deadly attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach - including the killers' motives. A father and son opened fire on some 1,000 beachgoers yesterday, killing 15 people, including a 10-year-old girl.  Police say it was a terror attack targeted towards a Jewish Hanukkah celebration.  Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says officials will also be looking to toughen up gun laws following the attack. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canterbury wicket-keeper Mitch Hall has been pushed out for a fit-again Tom Blundell in the Black Caps squad for the third test against the West Indies starting Thursday in Mount Maunganui. Spinner Ajaz Patel returns to the side, with Blair Tickner sidelined. Sportstalk host Jason Pine explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Security has been boosted around Jewish places of worship and gatherings following last night's deadly attack at Bondi Beach. Two gunmen opened fire on a crowd of about a thousand people celebrating the first day of Hanukkah, killing 15 and injuring 40. Holocaust Centre of New Zealand Chair Deborah Hart says New Zealand's Jewish community is 'reeling' following the attack, and tributes are flooding in.  "We hold those directly affected in our hearts, but we know that we have to be resilient and we have to go on. And we've only had the first night of Hanukkah, and Hanukkah is the festival that has carried us through centuries of persecution."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 12 December. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the face of it, this coastal shipping decision from James Meager seems like an odd one. It's a win for truckies, like it or not, we're about to get 500 extra trucks filled with 15,000 tonnes of bulk cement on the road each month. But it's bad for coastal shipping, even though the Minister says it's actually good for coastal shipping. Let me explain. There's a cement company that wants to ship its product round the country, but its current ship is old and buggered. So a new one is coming to the rescue, but in the meantime, they've sorted a temporary ship for three years to fill the gap. Well, they did. Until the Minister, James Meager (Assoc. Transport) stepped in and said Nah. You can't operate that vessel here because its foreign-flagged ship. Meager says he's simply following the law. The vast majority of goods being moved around the country from local ports are on kiwi boats with kiwi crew, making sure we have kiwi jobs etc. All very well and good. Except there's apparently no alterative for the cement

The country's largest cement supplier says we'll soon have over 500 more trucks on the road every month to move cement across the country.  They recently requested to use a foreign-flagged vessel with foreign crew to operate for three years while a new vessel was built to replace their outdated M-V Buffalo.  But this request was declined by the Associate Transport Minister, James Meager.  He told Ryan Bridge that, "you tend to only give authorizations to carry things for a very short or temporary period, to make up a bit of a gap. And in this instance, it just didn't meet that criteria." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are signs that green shoots are starting to flourish economically.  The latest card spending data from Stats NZ shows retail spending was up 1.6-percent last month, compared to November last year.  Spending was up across the board - on the likes of groceries, household items and clothes. ASB Chief Economist Nick Tuffley told Ryan Bridge that the GDP for the second half of the year has had a strong rebound.  He says they're expecting 0.8 percent for the upcoming quarter. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Could different portion sizes for each sex reduce obesity? According to one UK-based expert, it could.  Professor Naveed Sattar says portion sizes at restaurants are often calibrated towards an adult male - and could be too much for women, children and shorter people.  Nutritionist Mikki Williden told Ryan Bridge that there's lots of variables.  She says the focus shouldn't be on the difference between the sexes - but smaller portion sizes generally isn't a bad option.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Workplace Relations Minister Brooke van Velden's refutes claims her minimum wage increase is 'piddly'.  The minimum wage will rise to 23-dollars-and-95-cents next April -- a 45 cent increase.  Labour's called the hike 'piddly and weak' -- while also claiming in real terms, it's a pay cut for some New Zealanders.  Van Velden told Ryan Bridge that's simply not true as it aligns with forecast inflation.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Gloriavale leader Howard Temple has been sentenced to 26 months in jail for sexual offending.  He had indecently assaulted young women and girls over a 20 year period at Gloriavale as recently as 2022. It comes as newly released documents show just how explicitly the government has been warned by its agencies that Gloriavale is not a safe place for women and girls.  The lawyer who previously represented Gloriavale leavers Dennis Gates told Ryan Bridge that, "What you basically have here is institutionalised domestic violence on a macro scale." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, a last minute offer from the health secretary could stop a planned doctors' strike from going forward. Resident doctors are set to go on strike next week over pay, working conditions and lack of training opportunities. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the nation is being hit hard by a flu surge and authorities are warning people to start wearing masks again. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The global dairy market is expected to face a period of weaker commodity prices off the back of a growth-filled 2025. According to Rabobank's Q4 Global Dairy Quarterly Report, global milk production growth is estimated to have peaked in Q3 2025. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Brigitte Morton from Franks Ogilvie joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The Taxpayers' Union has released some packaged fudge taking aim at Nicola Willis' track record as a Finance Minister - ahead of the debate between her and Ruth Richardson that's supposed to be taking place. What do we make of all this?   The US is reportedly looking to require tourists to hand over their social media accounts in order to travel there. How do we feel about this? Would it put you off travelling to the US? Cancer diagnoses are set to skyrocket in the next 20 years, but experts say at least half of these could be prevented if we smoked less, drank less, ate better and got more exercise. Do we need to take more responsibility for our health?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump has every right to crack down on the American border. There are problems there that we, down here in little old New Zealand, just don't understand. Illegal migration sounds to us like a far away and non-threatening concept because, well, it is. Thank you, ocean. And if you believe everything the liberal international media serves up and that this is an issue invented by tyrants like Trump to retain their grip on power, look at Starmer, the lovely leftie Labour leader of Great Britain. In case you missed it - Starmer, this week, has signed a piece of paper asking Europe to kindly redefine human rights because the current definition is a little too generous. Yes, Labour's man at number 10 wants to narrow human rights. He wants to be able to kick more asylum seekers out of Britain, because the cost and burden of daily arrivals of boats is simply unsustainable. And the British public had enough of it long ago. Enter Farage. So this is not a figment of a dictators' imagination, but a genuine