Larry Williams Drive

I’ve always felt a little uncomfortable about NIMBYism, but not in the case of the controversial Kainga Ora development being built in New Plymouth. I reckon locals have very good reason to oppose it and should continue to oppose it and should definitely insist that it's not in my backyard. This is a 45-unit public housing complex being built in the centre of the city made up of one- and two-bedroom units which are going to be run by Kainga Ora aka Housing NZ. Neighbours are divided on it. There are those who don’t want it. They’re worried about what it'll do to property prices in an area where some of them are selling for more than 1 million dollars.  And they’re worried about the security of their neighbouring businesses – like the local motorcycle centre owner said – ‘if they put the wrong people in there’. But then there are those who think it’ll be great for those without homes to have somewhere to live and who accuse the NIMBYs of being judgmental. I don’t think they are being judgemental. I think they’

New Zealand is deploying 30 more troops to Europe to help train Ukrainian fighters.  They won't actually go into Ukraine, instead, the Ukrainians and Kiwis will get together in the UK.  It comes after 50 defence personnel were deployed for two months in April and we sent $16m to buy military equipment for Ukraine.  Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Grant Robertson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian election threw up some interesting results. Do people love Labor? Or do they hate Scomo?  Just months after Christchurch Council agreed on plans for a new stadium, the cost has already blown out, and the delivery date set back. One councillor says the public's expectations for the project are too high. From tomorrow, Waka Kotahi will use security cameras to figure out who is using their phones and driving without a seatbelt.  Coke has come up with a new design for their bottles... where the lid stays attached to make it easier for recycling. Do you buy this or is it greenwashing? A UK mom is considering making her 8-year-old kid pay for his uniform because he constantly loses things and life is expensive. Ali Jones and Tim Wilson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on the Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Independents have taken the Australian election by storm. Ex-Wallabies captain and independent candidate David Pocock is a prime example of that. Pocock looks like he's on the verge of unseating the liberal senator in ACT. If successful, he'll become the first ACT Senator from a minor party. David Pocock joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coca-Cola has unveiled a new design for its bottles – lids that are tethered to the bottle.  It's in an attempt to keep lids out of landfills, as otherwise, it's too easy for caps to get thrown in the general rubbish.  Coca-Cola says it will start rolling out these more environmentally friendly bottles in the UK in early 2024.  Founder of ethical marketing company GoodSense, Kath Dewar joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The opening of Christchurch's city centre stadium has been pushed back again.  An update for city councillors shows it's been delayed to 2025 – and it's believed to be running about 50 million dollars over budget.  Councillor Sam MacDonald told Heather du Plessis Allan the project’s battling a few challenges. “The most important thing at the moment is we get the contracts signed next month, but what they’re telling me is that it’s constraints in the labour market which we’re hoping will relax over time and also getting literally materials through the ports.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand is sending 30 defence force personnel to the UK – to help train Ukrainian soldiers. The L119 light gun is only used by a handful of countries – and New Zealand has specifically been asked for a training team. Defence Force chief Air Marshal Kevin Short joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What will we actually be doing to support Ukraine? The PM's off to the US, what's the plan, will she meet with Biden, and what can we expect from her Harvard address? How's the PM reacting to Albanese's election? Political reporter Aaron Dahmen joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese has been sworn in as Australian Prime Minister. What's next for the coalition? Medical experts are calling for Aussies to mask up again despite the lack of a political mandate as winter approaches. Nathan Currie, Sunrise reporter, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Blues played a championship-intensity game against the Brumbies and won. Scott Dixon qualifies for the Indy 500 in pole position for the fifth time. Is he NZ's greatest ever driver? Sports commentator Phil Gifford joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An engineering consultant says moving Auckland's port to Manukau is a terrible idea.  A feasibility study was included in the Budget last week – commissioned after a previous report rejected the idea. That report's author, and Auckland Mayoral candidate, Wayne Brown, told Heather du Plessis Allan it's ridiculous the idea's being considered again. “It’s a dangerous harbour, there are wildly shifting sandbars out off the front there, and it regularly claims fisherman.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cycling NZ report came out this week – do we need to treat our athletes better, or is it just inherent that high-performance sport is going to be hard work? Should we put athletes above medals? Is this the Blues' year? Katey Martin says she may have played 199 matches but she doesn't think her career was "great" as she never got the runs she wanted. Is this overly harsh or a bit of welcome self-reflection? Phil Gifford, sports commentator, and Miles Davis, Newstalk ZB host, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan on the Sports Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Move over Covid... Monkeypox cases are sweeping across Europe. Boris Johnson is officially off the hook after the police have closed their investigation into the Downing Street parties. German breweries are warning there could be a shortage of beer bottles this summer amid rising production costs and a shortage of lorry drivers. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My Food Bag made has posted a healthy result today. EBITDA was up 18% to $34.2m, and net profit after tax increased to $20m from $2.4m.  The company's been in the headlines recently thanks to DGL Group's Simon Henry who made racist and derogatory remarks about the My Food Bag's co-founder Nadia Lim. He also criticised My Food Bag's IPO last year, saying it hasn't delivered value for money for investors. My Food Bag's share price has halved since the company listed last year. CEO of My Food Bag, Kevin Bowler joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National's Jacqui Dean is keeping mum on her role in a leadership stoush that saw Christopher Luxon take over as party leader.  The Waitaki MP – who's spent a quarter of a century in politics – announced today she's retiring at the next election. It comes after she was caught up in a messy saga last year – when ex-leader Judith Collins used a historical complaint by Dean to demote Simon Bridges.  That both derailed Bridges' leadership ambitions... and led to Collins losing the top job to Luxon.  Pressed on the matter by Heather Du Plessis-Allan, Dean wasn't giving much away. “I have regrets about lots of things.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's incumbent Prime Minister says we may not know the outcome of tomorrow's federal election, if polls are anything to go by. ABC political reporter Brett Worthington told Heather du Plessis Allan Scott Morrison still hopes he'll again defy the polls.  “Both sides of politics are suggesting that Labor is in front but Scott Morrison has been coming home like a steam train which is his typical leadership style, so he is hoping that can get him over the line.” Worthington says by tomorrow, half of Australians will have already voted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Within 24 hours of being released the budget hit a pretty major snag. What happened? And now that the dust has settled a little bit, what else is in the budget that might have been missed yesterday? Chief political reporter Jason Walls joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joe Biden met with the leaders of Sweden and Finland after they submitted their NATO membership applications. Elon Musk paid $250,000 USD to a flight attendant who'd accused him of sexual misconduct. One petrol station chain is preparing for a pretty drastic gas price. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Matt Lodge has been immediately released from the Warriors – a day before he was due to suit up against the Dragons. The NZ athletics team was named for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Host of Weekend Sport Jason Pine joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simon Wilson's column in the Herald today popped up on my phone this morning with this alert: Simon Wilson: Can we stop talking about the 'squeezed middle' now?  In it, Simon asks: “The squeezed middle: Is there a more pernicious phrase in politics?” And he goes on to argue that yes, the squeezed middle might be doing it tough, but the people at the bottom are doing it tougher. And there are other things that matter too. Like the climate, trains, the climate, e-bikes and the climate. The tone of the article is that there are more important and worse off people than the ‘squeezed middle’ so let’s move on already. I'm sure Simon represents a certain way of thinking out there so for people who think like Simon, let me lay out for you why there really is a squeezed middle and why they feel like they do. The squeezed middle are not rich people or comfortable people. They are nurses, police officers, teachers, parents trying to raise a family on one income so one of them can stay home with the kids. They are the fi