Larry Williams Drive

The UK’s embattled Labour Government has unveiled a tax-raising budget - after its full contents were leaked half an hour early. The plan's designed to lift economic growth and ease cost-of-living pressures. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledged ordinary people would have to pay more, and it's prompted backlash. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing concerns from experts about the risks surrounding AI investments. Investors believe AI is at risk of forming a stock market bubble, and some analysts are worried about the risks coming home to roost. Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, former Green Party MP Gareth Hughes and Infrastructure NZ CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Air New Zealand CEO Nikhil Ravishankar wants airports around the country to stop giving Jetstar an 'advantage' with discounts that allows them to run cheaper flights. What do we make of this? The Northland business chamber has suggested many businesses in the area won't want to join a class action lawsuit against Transpower because they just want to move on from the collapsed pylon saga? Do we think the business owners will get on board?  New research shows millennials are the first generation to drift further left than their older counterparts. Why do we think this is? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 27 November 2025, Attorney-General Judith Collins tells Heather why she's called a public inquiry on the Tom Phillips case. Air NZ's new boss has asked airports to stop supporting Jetstar's competition edge by giving them discounts. Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully speaks to Heather - and Heather reveals why she's booked her first flight on the orange bird. Mike Colson KC explains why he's getting involved in a class action lawsuit against Transpower and Omexom over the toppled power pylon saga. Is NZ becoming more litigious?   Aussie researchers reckon millennials are the first generation to not become more conservative with age. Why is that? Plus, the Huddle debates millennials' politics and flying Jetstar. 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.

Can I give you a positive spin on the recession that we're just coming out of? I mean, maybe it's not so much a positive spin, but maybe it's an explanation for why this recession was harder than it needed to be - but why it actually did need to be this hard. If you've been following the commentary around the Reserve Bank's last two OCR decisions, you'll know there's been a fair bit of chat about the wealth effect and how that has made the recession worse. Now, the wealth effect is the thing that happens when your house goes up in value. You feel rich - you’re not rich, you just feel rich - so you go out and spend more money. And then, of course, when it does the opposite and goes down in value, you feel poor. You're not poor, you just feel it, so you shut your wallet. And that is part of the reason why this recession has dragged - because our house prices are not going up. They have gone backwards, and so we're not spending, which means that we're not spending our way out of the recession. Now, the thing abo

The Reserve Bank has blamed the ongoing recession on an uncertain property market, prompting experts to weigh in. New Zealand has traditionally relied on housing as an engine of growth, but years of flat property prices have reportedly contributed to the ongoing economic downturn. Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Inland Revenue Department has launched some new steps in bringing down tax debt - with one scheme linked to a key credit agency. Following a successful pilot, the IRD will report more recalcitrant tax debtors to credit reporting agency Centrix. Centrix Group Managing Director Keith McLaughlin says this scheme is designed to bring down company debt at this stage, not personal debt. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strong signals from the Government suggesting the rights and privacy of the children will be paramount in the Tom Phillips inquiry.  Police shot the fugitive dead in September after he was on the run with his kids in the Waikato bush for four years.  NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan explained what this case could uncover. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business as usual for Jetstar, despite Air New Zealand taking a swipe at its airport discounts.  Air New Zealand head Nikhil Ravishankar claimed airports are unfairly subsidising the Qantas-owned airline - on our most profitable air routes.  BusinessDesk reports Ravishankar says that includes open-ended discounted landing rights and cost cutting deals.  Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully says they're just focused on running their own race.  "The reality is, we've been trying really hard to make sure that we've got a great value proposition in the New Zealand market - and it's great that more Kiwis are giving us a go." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is addressing concerns cash is becoming inaccessible by bringing money to rural communities.   It has opened a 12-month trial of a cash depot in Hawke's Bays' Waipukurau - offering a closer site to make withdrawals. Local banks have recently closed, meaning the nearest ATM for locals is 50 kilometres away. Reserve Bank Money and Cash Director, Ian Woolford, says, currently, only businesses can use the depot for cash. "It's quite surprising, about a third of where people get their money from is actually from a retailer...but people might be noticing retailers are increasingly saying - well, we don't really want to accept cash." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Businesses are taking class-action over a power outage to of all Northland last year - although the exact loss is still unknown. In June, an inexperienced worker removed nuts from three legs of a pylon, which toppled, cutting electricity to almost the entire region. An opt-out class action against Transpower and its lines maintenance contractor is progressing through the courts.  Stout Street Chambers partner, Mike Colson, says losses will be calculated in due course.  "It's giving Northland businesses an opportunity to be compensated - and second, an opportunity to incentivise those working on critical infrastructure to do a good job out of it." See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Agency actions regarding the children of fugitive Tom Phillips are going under the microscope, with a report due back mid-next year.  Phillips was on the run nearly four years, ending only when he died in September in a police shootout. Attorney-General Judith Collins says questions will be asked about what Government agencies did to protect the children, what they knew - and did or didn't do. "In this situation, what we can look into is what the Government agencies knew, what they did, and what they didn't do. Should they have done more?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Australian state of Victoria will be formally apologising to indigenous people for colonisation next month. The symbolic action will be delivered by State Premier Jacinta Allan - acknowledging ongoing harm and injustices and land being taken without consent. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this comes after a first-nations Justice Commission report recommended 100 actions - and more changes will be made as a result. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahmedabad will host the 2030 Commonwealth Games centenary edition. The decision has been ratified by the organisation's general assembly in Glasgow. India sees the event as a launching pad to bid for the 2036 Olympics. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millennials are the first generation to get more left-wing as they age, according to new reports.  A study by the Australian National University has found the age group's support  for Australia's right-wing coalition fell between 2016 and 2025 -  from 38 percent to 21 percent. Study Author Sarah Cameron says education and gender are playing a role.  "It used to be that women were slightly further right, and then were slightly further left. Over time, that gender gap - it's reversed." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four more people have been arrested as as result of last month's high-profile robbery at the Louvre Museum. Two men, aged 38 and 39, and two women, aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region, were recently arrested. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says police now have 96 hours to question these new suspects.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leaky-home experts fear a proposed overhaul of the Building Act could leave unlucky home owners - apartment owners in particular - in financial ruin. Under the new regime, liabilities are only assigned to the party responsible, and for many new buildings, a warranty will be required. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacks the concerns further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 26 November 2025, Reserve Bank Governor Christian Hawkesby tells Heather why the bank decided to cut the OCR again - and whether that's the end of cuts. Ports of Auckland boss Roger Gray has criticised Kiwi's culture of "no", saying people call us "No Zealand" overseas. Does he have a point? Another summer, another festival cancelled. Promoter Brent Eccles on what's going on, and how we can make sure we definitely get our tickets reimbursed in the future. Climate Change Minister Simon Watts calls Heather's bluff and pops into the studio. Plus, the Huddle debates high tech cars - and whether they're actually annoying (despite reducing the number of crashes)! 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 Reserve Bank ended the year on a hopeful note and brought down the OCR for the end of 2025. The central bank cut the Official Cash Rate another 25 basis points today - bringing it to 2.25 percent. Milford Asset Management's Sam Trethewey explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So the Ports of Auckland boss Roger Gray is onto something, isn't he? Because we are a country that loves to say no. He said in a speech to a crowd at the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron in Auckland that he went to Miami to speak to four major cruise liners to find out why the cruise ships aren't coming here as much as they used to. And he apparently says that they call us 'No Zealand' because we just say no to everything. Is he wrong? I mean, look at the news that's been around just for the last couple of days, right? Santana wants to dig $7 billion worth of gold out of the ground near Cromwell. The locals say no. Eric Stanford wants to change the curriculum so our kids can actually get a decent international education and have a future ahead of them. The unions say no. Chris Bishop wants to scrap regional councils because they just waste everyone's time and money and say no to things, and the perpetually concerned looked at that and said no. We say no so much that the Government has created