Larry Williams Drive

Seems to me that Peeni Henare's shenanigans in the by-election right now is exactly the kind of thing that Labour has to knock on the head, quick smart, if they want to be in the game at the election next year. Now, as we were discussing earlier, even though Carmel Sepuloni has told Peeni off for saying that he wants to repeal the gang patch ban, he is not backing down. Right? He said it on Wednesday, they told him off on Thursday, and today he's not backing down. He's repeated it because he says it's his personal view. If not the Labour party’s, and he has whānau experience. Now, why he's actually doing this, in my opinion, is because the Māori Party's doing it. That's the real reason, because if you have a look at what actually happened on Wednesday night in that by-election candidates meeting, it was the Māori Party candidate Orini Kaipara who first answered the question.The question was, will you repeal the ban? She said, yes, and after she said yes, Peeni Henare then said yes too. Now, maybe he does trul

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 22 August 2025, Fonterra's agreed to one of the biggest ever deals in NZ business history. Chief Executive Miles Hurrell tells Heather why he's selling Anchor, Mainland and co for almost $4 billion.   Police Minister Mark Mitchell explains how a big tech upgrade will allow first responders to find your location if they have concerns for your NZ Rugby chair David Kirk explains where you'll be able to watch the rugby next year after signing a new five year deal. Plus, the Sports Huddle debates whether the player exodus from the ANZ Championship will hurt NZ's netball futures. 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.

US President Trump and Russian President Putin have been deadlocked in negotiations around the war in Ukraine, leaving space for China to benefit from this pause.  Asian Correspondent Peter Lewis says that China stands to gain two things from this situation.  Firstly, China can continue important oil and other products from Russia, as no final deal with the USA has been reached.  Secondly, the delay in trade negotiations has given China more time to create a new world trading order, keeping itself at the centre.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SkyTV is set to broadcast every All Blacks’ game for the next 5 years, and TVNZ will broadcast all 93 of the National Provincial Championship (NPC) matches.  Chair of NZ Rugby David Kirk told Heather duPlessis-Allan that reaching this deal has been a ‘long, long journey.’  ‘Both parties have worked hard, and I think we've got to a place which works for both of us.' LISTEN ABOVE   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on the Huddle, sports reporter Nathan Limm and sports journalist Lavina Good join Heather duPlessis-Allan to discuss the latest sports news.  What does Sky's new broadcasting deal mean for viewers? And netballers are still leaving for Australia, what needs to change to keep Kiwis at home? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's introducing stricter measures across its childcare centres in efforts to better protect young children.  CCTV cameras will be trialled at more than 300 centres - with work also commencing to develop a national register of childcare workers. It follows child sexual abuse allegations surfacing against one Victoria worker. Australia correspondent Oli Peterson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that some states have already banned personal mobile phones in centres.  He says you've got to give the state and federal governments credit here for reacting to the situation and trying to beef up regulations as quickly as they could.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Benjamin Netanyahu has called a number of western nations – including New Zealand – ‘shameful’ for their support of Palestine.  These comments come as the NZ Government moves closer towards recognising a Palestinian state.  Senior political correspondent Barry Soper says a statement about recognising Palestine will likely happen soon.  “We probably will do; I would imagine at the General Assembly in New York next month.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Parliament's finance and expenditure committee released the findings of its banking inquiry today, making 19 recommendations - 14 of which have cross-party support.  It concluded there is no silver bullet for more competition in the sector.  Committee member Todd Stephenson saysthe first step is reducing barriers to entry.  He says a large part of that is capital requirements for new players.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Erik Menendez has been denied parole 36 years after he confessed to killing his parents.  He and his brother Lyle were sentenced to life in prison in 1996 for murdering their parents Jose and Kitty Menendez.  Since then, further details around abuse from their father have surfaced, leading to public debate over their sentencing.   US Correspondent Jonathan Kearsley told Heather duPlessis-Allan that Eric Menendez will have to wait another three years before requesting parole again.   LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra is confident farmers will vote to sell major brands like Anchor and Mainland.   It's reached a deal to sell its consumer and associated businesses to French dairy giant Lactalis for $3.845billion.  The deal still needs the approval of shareholders.  Fonterra Chief Executive Miles Hurrell told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the offer is above expectation, and there will be a $2 capital return per share.   He says, while the public have a strong emotional connection with the brands - the feedback has been positive.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Europe is calling on US President Donald Trump to deploy fighter jets in Romania in order to protect Ukraine, according to new reports. Military leaders from the U.K., Germany, France, Finland, and Italy have urged US officials to provide additional support to Ukraine as the conflict continues. UK correspondent Enda Brady explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While experts are weighing up the results of US-based tech giants, one Chinese company is dominating markets. Tencent is a Chinese multinational technology conglomerate - and one of the highest-grossing multimedia companies in the world based, on revenue. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra has increased its farmgate milk price forecast for the 2024/25 season to $10.15 per kg of milksolids from $10.00/kg, and has narrowed its forecast range for the current season. The forecast range for 2024/25 has narrowed from $9.70-$10.30 per kilo of milk solids (kgMS) to $10.10-$10.20/kgMS, with the final price to be released alongside the co-op’s final result, due in September. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog's David Farrar and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! David Seymour says the coalition isn't saving as much money as ACT would have. What do we make of this?  Police Commissioner Richard Chambers gave an interview to the NZ Herald saying we should feel lucky to live in New Zealand. What do we make of this?  A Wellington restaurant is asking people to sign a contract before taking leftovers home.. to ensure they're not liable for any food safety issues. Is this over the top? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 21 August 2025, no more embarrassing plane-breakdowns! Defence Minister Judith Collins tells Heather she's gone shopping for new helicopters and planes with a total bill of $2.7 billion. You're now allowed to tell everyone what you're being paid.. but is that a good thing? Stacey Penn lost her job after she was injured while struggling with a pit bull that had charged into a jewellery shop. She says the dog was already a known troublemaker. Has the lucky streak run out? SkyCity boss Jason Walbridge discusses the company's capital raise and the big profit drop. Plus, the Huddle debates whether restaurants asking you to sign a food safety waiver are OTT. 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 gonna say thank you to the Police Commissioner, Richard Chambers, for maybe reminding us to be grateful for what we have. He gave an interview to the Herald today and he said he thinks there is a fair bit of punching down on New Zealand going on at the moment. And he thinks that's unfair. He says: "With the world going a little crazy, I count us lucky that we are where we are." Now, given how much doom and gloom there is at the moment, it may surprise you to know that the accompanying poll in the Herald article actually agrees with him - as unscientific as it is. Most people rate their experience of living in New Zealand as 8 out of 10. 20 percent of people say they have an 8 out of 10 experience. Then the next one up is 10 out of 10. That's 15 percent. 7 out of 10 comes next, and 13 percent of us say that.  So, 7, 8, 9, and 10 out of 10 account for 58 percent of the votes. Way more than half of us think that we are living in a pretty great place. Now, as I say, it's not scientific, but it

SkyCity is pushing forward with a new capital raise, after confirming a significant drop in profit. Underlying profit's plummeted 42 percent, according to new reports. Costs have also been rising, particularly for regulatory compliance, online gaming, and the soon-to-open Auckland convention centre. SkyCity CEO Jason Walbridge says he believes they're acting in the best interests of the company - despite the concerns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The ACT leader has promised less spending and fewer public servants. It comes after numerous redundancies in the public sector, following calls for efficient spending as the coalition's budgets were being delivered. David Seymour says the Government is not cutting costs as much as ACT would. "We said that we wanted to reduce the number of public servants back to pre-Labour levels, and we also said that we wanted to reduce spending by about 8 or 9 billion each year." Seymour's reiterating the comments made yesterday when reacting to a further OCR cut. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Defence Minister says it's important for New Zealand to have the right equipment as the Government unveils its newest defence spend. The Government is set to invest $2.7 billion into two new Airbus A321 planes and five new MH-60R Seahawk helicopters to replace the Air Force’s Boeing 757s and the Navy's older Seasprite helicopters. Judith Collins explained that it was important to get the right equipment at the right price range. "We're a bit faster than some people getting them because we're doing this less-to-buy program with a very large supplier - or someone who buys an awful lot of brand-new planes - and we're on that sort of system so we can get them a bit earlier." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's belief the job losses at the Eves Valley Sawmill will have a significant impact on the area.  Manufacturing company Carter Holt Harvey is proposing to close the mill, which would result in 142 jobs lost. It's wanting to consolidate its structural timber manufacturing to one site - in Bay of Plenty's Kawerau. Tasman mayor Tim King, lives next door to the mill and says there's no chance to change the company's mind.  "The most significant impact - and most immediate - is on those 142 people employed at Eves Valley, but there is a wide range of other businesses that support the Eves Valley sawmill, it's a big component of the forestry sector in this region." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.