Larry Williams Drive

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 15 July 2025, the Government is changing the law to force councils to focus on their core business. But the Minister for Local Government is struggling to explain to Ryan what councils have been doing that is nice-to-have. Former Australian ambassador to Russia, Peter Tesch, is not convinced that Donald Trump's ultimatum to Vladimir Putin will actually lead to peace in Ukraine. Deputy PM David Seymour has been reminded by the Prime Minister who is in charge of foreign affairs - and that's Winston Peters! Seymour tells Ryan he was just overeager to get his response to the UN in the mail. Plus, the Huddle debates whether cancer warnings on alcohol would make a difference. 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.

The Government's introduced a bill today to get local Government back focused on the basics. But the fact they've strayed so far from potholes, rubbish and waste water is as much our fault as the councillors and mayors running the budgets. The Government's bill contains the wildly controversial stuff like: "Prioritising core services when managing finances and setting rates." And "new financial performance measures for councils, with a requirement for regular public reporting." How scandalous. Honestly. We shouldn't need central Government to spend time and money clarifying such simple principles to their local Government counterparts, but it's 2025, and here we are. We shouldn't need a bill to stop wasteful spending. We just need more Andrew Tripes. He's the Whanganui mayor overseeing a 2.2 percent rate increase this year. Much less than the average 8.7 percent across the country. He went on RNZ this morning and basically said it how it really is. If you want low rates, spend less, save money, have a plan. A

David Seymour is standing by his letter to the UN - now withdrawn. He wrote responding to an official who'd expressed concerns about the impact of Seymour's Regulatory Standards Bill on Māori. The Prime Minister says that's a job for the Foreign Minister and Seymour's conceded it's better to a have a single Government response, led by Winston Peters. Seymour says he still needs to work out how to undo the letter he sent. "I'll probably have to go through Winston, he probably doesn't want me to write direct to the UN again - I think that would probably miss the whole point of the exercise."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

TRA’s latest New Zealand’s Favourite Ads survey for June 2025 has revealed what ads Kiwis are loving the most - and one of the top contenders is powered by AI. Skinny's new ad campaign starring a digitally cloned 64-year-old Liz Wright - chosen from hundreds of entries in a nationwide search - rounded out the top 10 in a list including Tux, One NZ, KFC and Turners.  Spark's marketing and data director, Matt Bain, says AI has allowed digital effects in advertising to become more 'democratised'. "Brands like Skinny can actually do things like clone a customer and then create scenes that wouldn't have been possible on Skinny's budgets." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A significant moment for Ukraine - as the US falls into line with NATO.  President Donald Trump's pledged billions of dollars of weapons to Ukraine, through a sale to NATO.  He's also threatening Russia with 100 percent secondary tariffs if the Kremlin doesn't make a ceasefire deal within 50 days.  Former Australian ambassador to Russia, Peter Tesch says US policy is too fickle to make this a complete game changer. "It is an important signal - and a very welcome signal to Ukraine and NATO that the US won't hinder their efforts to defend Ukraine at their own expense." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Local Government Minister says new legislation in the works will give councils clarity.  An amendment bill's been introduced to Parliament to make local bodies focus on core services.  It also demands regular public progress reports - and disclosure on the cost of consultants and contractors.  Simon Watts says it's a return to bread and butter duties.  "Previously, terms like social, cultural and economic type activities - they were all just catch-all. And as a result, some councils across the country were doing stuff that was basically wasteful spending." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Seymour's withdrawn a letter he sent to the United Nations after being called out by the Prime Minister.  A United Nations' official's letter was critical of the Regulatory Standards Bill, saying it excluded Māori traditions. Seymour, the Minister responsible for the bill, replied that as an indigenous New Zealander himself, he's deeply aggrieved by the UN's audacity in presuming to speak on his behalf.  Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper discussed the saga further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese and Xi Jinping have met in Beijing, kicking off high-level talks as Australia and China strive to focus on economic co-operation rather than their increasingly militaristic regional rivalry. With the Australian and Chinese national flags adorning the walls, it was a welcome befitting the charm offensive waged on the Australian Prime Minister since landing over the weekend. Australian correspondent Charles Croucher unpacked the pair's meeting further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Blues’ contract with Eden Park is drawing to a close, and a decision on where they will move their home games to is yet to be made. In a survey sent to supporters, the franchise asked fans whether they would be more likely to attend Blues matches if they were moved to Mt Smart instead of Eden Park next Super Rugby season. Sportstalk host Jason Pine weighs in on the discussion. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows that house prices have dropped for the fourth consecutive month in June. The Real Estate Institute of NZ shows that across the entire country, the HPI declined by 0.8 percent in June compared to May. Property commentator Ashley Church says the cause of this downturn goes all the way back to 2021, when Covid impacted interest rates. "The Reserve Bank, as a result of that, recognized what it had done, reversed course and increased the OCR, which had the effect of increasing mortgage interest rates over the following two years. So the result of that is basically what we're dealing with." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The EU's retaliatory tariffs on US exports have been delayed again - this time until early next month. The countermeasures, which were due to begin this month, came in response to President Donald Trump's initial import taxes on steel and aluminium. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Trump has recently threatened to bring in higher tariffs for the European Union on top of the earlier sanctions.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of New Zealand's leading building sector bodies is launching standard house designs that will be available to all, in an attempt to bring down costs. The Building Research Association of New Zealand has developed an accessible plan for building an affordable and sustainable home.  BRANZ General Manager of Research Dr Chris Litten says housing affordability is a significant issue in New Zealand - and the company's looking to develop a solution. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US President Donald Trump is renewing his threats to Canada, vowing to slap a 35 percent tariff on its goods. He says he'll impose the tariff on Canadian goods starting in August. Trump's also made threats of blanket tariffs of 15 or 20 percent on most trade partners. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly reveals how the markets reacted. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! New data shows more young Kiwis are having issues finding work. Do we have any inspirational messages for young people looking for jobs? How can they get ahead?  Is the UN interfering with NZ's sovereignty?  Ray Chung has since apologised for his infamous email to Tory Whanau - but the council's Crown observer is raising issues with the Minister and the council's CEO is looking to investigate a possible code of conduct breach? What do we make of this?  Donald Trump is now mulling increasing the baseline tariff for everyone from 10 percent to 15-20 percent. Should we try to make the best of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister says revelations she wanted to keep numbers attending this year's Budget lock-up more restricted than she suggested is a mountain out a of molehill. After a wave of criticism directed at Treasury for restricting lock-up numbers - Nicola Willis said she stepped in to enable more people in. An extra 30 people were added to the list. But new OIA documents show it was actually Willis who pushed for tighter restrictions She says she had initially opted to stick to the same approach for the Budget, as had been used for the half-yearly fiscal update. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 14 July 2025, how much money did we waste on the Te Pukenga experiment? Minister for Vocational Training Penny Simmonds tells Ryan Bridge the shocking cost, and why we're going back to 10 independent polytechs from next year. A Tasman community has yet again been hit by mountains of slash. Ngātīmoti resident Steph Jewell reports from the clean-up and what should be done to avoid history repeating again. Former rugby league player Paul Gallen tells Ryan he really does hate Sonny Bill Williams ahead of the pair's much anticipated fight. Plus, the Huddle debrief on THAT letter by Ray Chung and THAT interview he did with Ryan last week. 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.

Put your hand up if you've ever had a bus suddenly pull out in front of your car while you're driving along, minding your own beeswax. I know. It's happened to everyone. They're long things aren't they, buses? So you can be halfway past one when they pull out, and all of a sudden you're slamming on the brakes or you're pushed into the wrong lane. I don't mind admitting that until this very morning, I had assumed that buses must have had the right of way. They seem to take no prisoners. They have no mercy. They're as ruthless on the road as the All Blacks at the Cake Tin on Saturday night. But I was reading an article this morning from the Spinoff about a bunch of changes to road rules that Chris Bishop wants to enact. One of them is giving buses right of way when they're exiting bus stops. So if you're driving a car, you must yield. Give way. Slow down, or more likely, stop completely to let them out. The theory is that buses carry more passengers than cars. If we prioritise the buses, more people will get wh

There's immense pressure for young New Zealanders trying to find work as opportunities decline. Stats NZ data shows 16 percent of Kiwis aged 15-24 are unemployed. NZ Careers Expo director Mark Gillard says the market conditions show it's a tough market for young workers. "It's not anybody's fault, the onus is certainly there on employers, on industry organisations to engage with young people. There's been a propensity to step back and let the internet do all the talking, but we know face-to-face engagement with young people is what really inspires them."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Paul Gallen is speaking out after things got heated between him and Sonny Bill Williams ahead of their high-profile match in Sydney. The pre-fight press conference initially saw both fighters seemingly ready to skip the verbal jabs in exchange for the in-ring shots on Wednesday. However, the latter stages saw Gallen accuse Williams of drug use - and for charging large sums for his community work.  Gallen says he can't see himself breaking bread with Sonny Bill after the fight, but 'that's life'. "There's no acting going on at all - we don't like each other." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's assuring industry groups they'll still have influence as polytechnics change. Next year, 10 polytechs will return to regional governance - but four remain under Te Pūkenga's umbrella. More decisions will be made mid-next year.  Vocational Education Minister Penny Simmonds says these 10 institutions are following a planned pathway designed to boost long-term viability. "This is work that should have happened 5-6 years ago, it's happened now - and they are getting rid of the wasteful spending, they are getting themselves back on track." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.