Larry Williams Drive

Sydneysiders are being told they need to change the way they live under a radical new plan to decarbonise the nation’s most populous city. Petrol and diesel cars would be banned in just five years' time and there should be no new gas connections to buildings across the city, a Committee for Sydney proposal suggests. Under the plan, gas connections would be phased out from 2035 and there should be no new gas appliances by 2030. The influential body of business leaders and infrastructure experts have said that without more aggressive action the state will fail to meet its 2030 or 2050 targets. “NSW’s climate policies are leading the nation, but this research is a wakeup call that Sydney’s not on track for net zero – we’ve got plenty of work to do,” committee spokesman Sam Kernaghan said. “To halve emissions by 2030, the only levers big enough to make a real difference are getting many more electric vehicles on the road, and reducing the carbon intensity of the energy we use. “Both come with big social, logistic

Transporting NZ is quietly confident the Government will extend fuel tax relief past January. A litre of diesel is just nine cents a litre cheaper than regular petrol at the moment. New Zealanders have been saving around $276 a week on a 40-litre tank since the tax pause was introduced in April. CEO Nick Leggett told Heather du Plessis-Allan fuel needs to be kept low at the moment. “For us to transition our economy to being more efficient and reducing our fossil fuel use is by investing in technology, and you can’t do that when you’ve got an economic slowdown and sluggish productivity.” LISTEN ABOVE LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the country's most well known philanthropists is packing his bags, and leaving for Australia. Sir Ray Avery is ditching New Zealand as he's says he's sick of the tall poppy syndrome, and claims the Government refused to listen to his ideas on how to make the country a better place. He says that's what tends to happen in New Zealand, people tend to break down people who stand up above the parapet, but in Australia they're held in much higher regard. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's following in the footsteps of Fred Hollows by moving to Australia where they're far more supportive of high achievers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no way of knowing how many New Zealand veterans may be fighting in Ukraine. Soldier Dominic Abelen was on leave without pay and not on active duty - when killed in a firefight trying to re-take an enemy trench. The 30-year-old had been fighting with Ukraine's International Legion in the east of the war-torn country. No Duff veteran's trust co-founder Aaron Wood told Heather du Plessis-Allan any soldier like Abelen asking the Defence Force permission to go and fight, will be told, no. He says if they're found out, they'll be in trouble upon their return. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Christchurch City Council has voted to release a controversial draft transport plan to public view. Councillor Aaron Keown and mayoral hopeful Phil Mauger led the bid for its release. It's against the wishes of staff, who feared public release would see its proposals for congestion charges and road tolls taken out of context. Draft developer, councillor Mike Davidson told Heather du Plessis-Allan he agrees it needed to see daylight. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US earning season is in its busiest week, with the likes of tech giants Microsoft, Apple and Amazon announcing results. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds says we're at a critical juncture and he joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do we want a big country or not? That's the question the Reserve Bank is posing. It comes as data shows there are now two job vacancies per unemployed person and the Government being set to respond to the Productivity Commission's report on immigration. Sense Partners economist Kirdan Lees believes if the Government essentially stepped aside, then firms and households could increase our population by 3 or 4 million. Kirdan Lees joined Heather du Plessis-Allan LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest government move to try and bring down prices at the supermarket checkout has been announced. It will force Countdown and Foodstuffs to sell groceries to rival retailers at regulated prices - if they fail to supply them on the wholesale market "adequately." This rule change wasn't recommended by the commerce commission and questions have been asked as to whether it will actually make a difference. Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister David Clark joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Almost half of all Māori tamariki taken into state care would go on to become adult inmates, a new report has revealed. The report, tabled at the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry today, also highlighted that one out of every three children and young people placed in residential care by the state went on to serve a prison sentence later in life. The report outlined a significant disparity between those in residential care and the general population, for whom less than one in 10 ended up in prison. Tabled during the examination of Oranga Tamariki at the Inquiry's State Institutional Response public hearing, the Care to Custody: Incarceration Rates Research Report is the first of its kind to analyse the interagency records of more than 30,000 children and young people between 1950 and 1999. It showed Māori children and young people were more likely to end up in prison, with 42 per cent serving a custodial sentence as an adult. The research document provides evidence of what the Royal Commission has hear

Concerns the US is bungling its Monkeypox outbreak. It has 15,000 - and the disease is ripping through cities like San Francisco. 99 percent are in men who have sex with other men. US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du Plessis-Allan health experts are worried not enough preparations are being made. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trevor Mallard's replacement is now confirmed. Adrian Rurawhe is now in the Speaker's chair after what can only be described as tumultuous period under Mallard. Adrian Rurawhe joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss his plans for the role and how he will differ from his predecessor. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I like the idea of letting another 4 million people into New Zealand in the next ten years, that doesn’t scare me.  I know that’s going to scare a lot of people, so let’s talk about it. This is the suggestion from an economist called Dr Kirdan Lees who works for Sense Partners. Kirdan reckons that if New Zealand removed restrictions on immigration and aimed to rebuild the country like Australia and Canada are doing, we could add another 4 million people by 2032.  This would mean we’d be pushing 10 million people. What’s the problem with that?  Critics will say we don’t’ have the houses. That’s true. They’ll say we don’t’ have the schools and teachers and the roads to carry that many people. That’s true as well. But what’s also true is that we will not be able to build those houses and schools and roads quickly, unless we get the immigrants in to do the work. So it’s a chicken and egg situation.  You can’t house the immigrants, but you can’t build the houses without the immigrants. Here are two reasons we don’

He Waka Eke Noa chairman Michael Ahie says the primary sector climate action partnership is "on track", despite "some unfounded speculation and conjecture" about the process. At the weekend, Groundswell New Zealand issued a press release saying it understood Climate Change Minister James Shaw had "finally conceded" the scheme was terminally flawed and would scrap it. The group's emissions spokesman, Steve Cranston, stated Government and industry leaders had been quietly looking at alternative emission pricing options to the He Waka Eke Noa scheme for the past few months and now appeared ready to "pull the pin on it". Groundswell called on Shaw and members of the He Waka Eke Noa partnership to confirm whether it was "dead" and what alternatives were being considered. In a short statement yesterday, He Waka Eke Noa said the partnership remained on course and 11 primary sector and Māori agribusiness partners had committed to the system it recommended for pricing agricultural emissions. It recommended a farm-leve

Heartland Group Holdings plans to raise $200 million in new capital off the back of a record financial result. The listed financial firm which owns Heartland Bank and a reverse mortgage business spanning both New Zealand and Australia posted a net profit of $95.1m for the year to June 30, 2021. That was up $8.1m on the prior financial year. On an underlying basis its net profit was $96.1m - up $8.2m on the prior year. Heartland also revealed an equity raise made up of a $130m underwritten placement and a $70m non-underwritten share purchase plan to shareholders in New Zealand and Australia. The company said it would use the new capital to repay an A$158m acquisition finance facility it took out to fund its recent purchase of StockCo Holdings 2 Pty and StockCo Australia Management Pty and to provide additional growth capital for its existing businesses. Its gross financial receivables rose 15.3 per cent over the year to $765.9m, pushing its return on equity up 21 basis points to 12.1 per cent. But its net inte

MP Gaurav Sharma says he hasn't got fair treatment from Labour since the saga started two weeks ago. Today the Labour caucus voted to expel him. Labour MP Megan Woods joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kaine Thompson and Tim Wilson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on The Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand pre-schoolers experience worse health and welfare outcomes than older kids do, according to a report released Monday. The report, published by Save the Children, Whānau Āwhina Plunket, the Child Poverty Action Group and the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, also highlighted the direct connection between Aotearoa's poverty and preventable childhood illnesses. "Sadly, the report reveals a bleak picture of upholding children's rights in Aotearoa, with poverty directly affecting the health outcomes of our youngest citizens, who are often forgotten about in terms of rights," Save the Children's Advocacy and Research director Jacqui Southey said. "The report finds that the leading causes of ill health and mortality of New Zealand's under-5s are largely preventable and are attributable to poverty." Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (Sudi), oral health, skin infections, and respiratory infections made up the four key areas that significantly impact kids under 5. Poor health outcomes are caused

As workers return to offices after two years of lockdowns and restrictions, the trend of "quiet quitting" is sweeping through workplaces around the world. But what is it and why are workers doing it? Having gained significant traction on short-form video-sharing app TikTok, the idea of "quiet quitting" sees workers dialling back their efforts - typically extra or unpaid work - in a bid to get a better work-life balance. Jarrod Harr, AUT professor of Human Resource Management, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to discuss. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The country's largest home and community care provider is calling for an end to Covid vaccine mandates for health workers. NZ Health Group estimates about 800 unvaccinated staff want to return to work. CEO Josephine Gagan told Heather du Plessis-Allan the vaccine mandate has unfairly affected thousands of vulnerable Kiwis. “A support worker will visit four or five individual people a day, so multiply that across the whole week. It’s a lot of people.’ LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Gaurav Sharma is still hoping for an independent investigation. The MP for Hamilton East was expelled from Labour's caucus at a meeting on Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said as far as Labour's caucus is concerned, the Sharma saga is over. Sharma will now sit in Parliament as an independent MP. He is still a member of the wider Labour Party, although it is now very likely he will be expelled from that too. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan he's going strong and this is about getting fair treatment. "The message this sends is that if your boss is powerful enough, they can get away with anything and it’s the wrong message to send from parliament to all the New Zealanders out there.” LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.