Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Political Correspondent Barry Soper wraps the political week.

The Deputy Prime Minister's facing defamation accusations from former Australia Foreign Affairs Minister Bob Carr, following comments Peters made about Carr's relationship with China.

Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan ‘Winston has been terribly diplomatic overseas, and maybe the diplomacy has gotten too much for him.

Peters says he was simply defending NZ’s foreign policy.

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Wellington's Victoria University's controversial free speech debate is back on, with more speakers added. 

A panel discussion around the role of universities in free speech was meant to be held on Monday, but it was pushed to the end of May, after opposition from some students. 

Victoria University Vice Chancellor Nic Smith told Heather du Plessis-Allan they've added more people than anticipated. 

Smith said there’s now two debates - “People with a viewpoint, and people who are more interested in the principles and regulations of what speech is.” 

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Julie Anne Genter shouted at Wellington florist, Laura Newcombe about cycleways in Wellington. 

Newcombe told Heather du Plessis-Allan that she could tell Genter didn’t really want to buy flowers and came in with a big attitude.   

“It’s common knowledge that I was opposed every single car park removed from the shopping precinct.” 

Newcombe said “Perhaps she just wanted to come in, and sort me out.” 

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I reckon Bob Carr might be wasting his time and money sueing Winston Peters for defamation. 

If he was hoping that he would scare Winston into silence... he hasn't. 

Winston just hit twitter today and doubled-down. 

Calling Bob Carr a shill. 

A shill is someone who is a bit of a hustler... who tries to convince other people to think something is great. 

Suggesting he’s either shilling for the NZ Labour party who invited him... Or shilling for China. 

Like in many examples of defamation cases... it often backfires. 

because bob got himself all worked up about Winston first said... which was basically to call him a pawn for China. 

How many of us hit the google to find out why Winston said that? 

And then found the AFR article “how Bob Carr became China's pawn” 

 But... On the broader argument which is actually about AUKUS. Labour might need to just calm the farm a little bit.

AUKUS is not quite the public flashpoint they seem to think it is... judging by the effort they’re putting in. 

I reckon most people don’t care or understand, and all they're seeing is the Labour Party getting hysterical.

Like them accusing Winston of embarrassing the country with this spat with Bob Carr - that's just dumb. 

Winston hasn’t embarrassed the country.

Bob Carr doesn't hold office.

He's just a citizen who flew here from Australia to tell us what to do. 

So, if anything, Winston stands to win this argument simply because he’s our guy being pushed around by an Australian. 

And no one really likes being pushed around by their big brother, do they? 

Anyway... Ijust wonder if Bob Carr’s underestimated Winston Peters.

He loves a fight, and clearly, he’s loving the fight with Bob. 

And Bob might be wise to give up while he's ahead. 

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The UK local elections are underway - and Rishi Sunak's fate is hanging in the balance.

Polls indicate Sunak is losing, and his party stands to lose approximately 50 percent of their council seats.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says this could open up a discussion about Sunak's standing ahead of the election.

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China's economy has been experiencing a downturn- weak growth, increased debt, and unwanted Government intervention.

Despite this, China's stock market is the second-best performing market in the world so far this year.

Fisher Funds' Sam Dickie explains further.

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Nadine Tunley, Chief Executive of Horticulture New Zealand has resigned with her last day at HortNZ being Friday, 30 August.

Tunley claimed this wasn't an easy decision - but she wants to focus on restoring work-life balance.

The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.

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Ahead of Budget Day 2024, experts are predicting possible outcomes.

Economists have warned this Budget will likely be very conservative, following on from earlier Government promises.

NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains further.

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Over in Australia, One Nation's Pauline Hanson is copping backlash over telling another senator to 'go back to Pakistan'.

Mehreen Faruqi claims Hanson breached the Racial Discrimination Act through her controversial tweet.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds explains further.

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The Wellington Phoenix are swiftly diverting their attention to the next piece of A-League silverware up for grabs.

The club missed out on a maiden Premiers Plate last night after Central Coast won their final match of the regular season.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 2 May 2024, Green MP Julie Anne Genter is in hot water over her behaviour in Parliament last night.Former Speaker David Carter tells Heather what punishment she might face.

Diplomatic trouble? The Foreign Minister Winston Peters is being threatened with legal action over comments against former Aussie Foreign Minister Bob Carr.

All kids will be taught how to read using structured literacy starting from next year,the Education Minister Erica Stanford explains why the change is needed.

The Huddledebates what to do about Julie-Anne Genter and whether canned food is good enough for a school lunch.

And what's more important on a Rugby board? Boobs or rugby knowledge?

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The Government's about to go toe-to-toe with Canada again, over a trade dispute.

Canada's refusing to comply in full with a ruling in our favour over dairy trade.

New Zealand initiated the dispute in 2022, saying Canada's blocking dairy exporters’ access to its market, breached CPTPP rules.

ACT Trade Spokesperson Parmjeet Parmar says Canada's refusal to comply is 'disappointing' and 'disrespectful.'

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Tonight on The Huddle, Josie Pagani from Child Fund and ZB Wellington Mornings host Nick Mills joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Julie Anne Genter raised a few eyebrows after losing her temper at Associate Transport Minister Matt Dooceyin Parliament yesterday. What can the Greens do about this? What should the punishment be?

Winston Peters has taken aim at his Australian counterpart on AUKUS, and Bob Carr has used him of defamation. How does this make New Zealand look on the world stage?

The Government is set to announce a new model to provide school lunches at a lower cost, which could involve the use of packaged foods such as tinned fruit, muesli bars, bread and canned beans. Is this a good solution?

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Labour's Foreign Affairs spokesperson says critical comments from Winston Peters are distracting from real issues.

Peters criticised former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr in an interview - over his stance on the AUKUS pact.

Carr's called those comments defamatory.

Labour's David Parker says the comments are being used to obfuscate the Government shift on AUKUS.

"Saying 'well, we should look at it' to saying, just a couple of weeks ago, there are powerful reasons for New Zealand to engage practically with AUKUS."

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There's optimism out of the provincial unions that they'll get what they want when New Zealand Rugby's governance saga likely comes to a head later this month.

A Special General Meeting on May 30 will vote on a fully independent model backed by the national body - or another backed by the unions.

The provinces want at least three future members to have served a minimum of two years on a provincial board.

Mid-Canterbury Rugby chair Gerard Rushton says they have plenty of support.

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An education union says there's more than one way to teach the basics in schools.

The Government's committing $67 million in the Budget to roll-out structured literacy in state schools from 2025.

It uses phonics to decode words - and teaches spelling skills and components like vocabulary, comprehension and writing.

Educational Institute President Mark Potter says such methods are essential, but there are many.

"Good, capable readers like yourself and myself - we use a variety of strategies. Phonics is only one of those strategies we do use."

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A former Speaker of the House says Julie Anne Genter's behaviour yesterday was 'dreadful'.

The Green MP crossed the debating chamber last night, confronting Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey at his seat and waving a booklet in his face.

David Carter says a 2007 scuffle between MPs Trevor Mallard and Tau Henare was outside the chambers.

Carter says Genter could face a range of punishments.

"They could actually expel her from Parliament - unlikely to do that - they could suspend her for a period of time, they could fine her, they could censure her and require her to come back into Parliament with a very fulsome apology."

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The Education Minister says teachers' stances on structured literacy are changing.

The Government is putting $67 million from the Budget into bringing the learning method into state schools by the first term of 2025.

The primary teachers' union, NZEI, says mandating a one-size-fits all approach does not work, and teachers know what is best for learners.

But Minister Erica Stanford says she has evidence it works, citing figures from Maramarua School's principal.

"His Māori students - 37 percent were at or above curriculum level for reading two years ago. Now he's got 67 percent using structured literacy."

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That was some outstanding rage from Julie Anne Genter, wasn't it?

It probably won't surprise you to hear she's not at work today, she's working from home - I would be too, if that was me caught on that camera.

The Greens have launched a disciplinary process, but I'm not expecting much from that, given how relaxed they seem to have been in the past about dealing with allegations against their MPs.

Also, multiple parties in Parliament have now complained to the Speaker, and Gerry Brownlee will make a decision next week on whether he refers this to the Privileges Committee.

Frankly, I think he's going to have to, don't you? 

Because that was pretty outrageous behaviour. I mean in most professional workplaces, if you went up to a colleague, got your face about 30cm from them, yelled at them while waving a document in their face and then waved your hands repeatedly, I reckon you'd get a written warning - or a verbal warning at the very least.

But it would be on your record, wouldn't it? 

If you flipped the roles, if that was National's Matt Doocey marching over to Julie Anne Genter and yelling in her face instead of the other way around, there would be calls for all hell to rain down on him.

Now obviously, let's deal with reality, let's not pretend women are held to the same standard as men when it comes to threatening behaviour. They aren't - and that's generally because women are not as much of a physical threat to men as the other way around.

Rightly or wrongly, that's just how the world works. And I reckon that will colour the judgement of this particular case.

But even for a woman, that was pretty wild, wasn't it? That was pretty cooked.

Anyway, interestingly, Greens co-leader Marama Davidson was repeatedly asked today if she knows of other instances where Julie Anne Genter has lost her temper - and she didn't really answer the question, so draw your own conclusions from it.

But she was probably asked because Julie Anne does have a bit of a short fuse. She's very passionate about her portfolio, she can get cross pretty easily about it. She walked out of a 1News interview three years ago - when you're with her one-on-one discussing transport, she gets quite shouty, even in public.

To her credit, I like the fact that she's passionate about transport. It's good to have people who actually care about the things that they're in charge of.

But unfortunately for her Parliament, like most workplaces now, has standards. And if we don't want blokes to be doing this to ladies in the House, we shouldn't have the ladies doing this to blokes in the House, should we?

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Parents, friends and partners of Taylor Swift fans will have the opportunity to take a college class on the pop star.

Glasgow Clyde College aims to educate students on Swift's songs, 'evolving wardrobe and hairstyles' and crowd chants ahead of her tour's stop in Edinburgh.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the course has been designed to get casual listeners up to speed on all things Taylor.

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Restaurant Brands New Zealand is enjoying a strong first quarter for the 2024 financial year.

The restaurant operator reported $302.6 million in sales, a 7.9 percent increase from the same period last year.

Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explains Restaurant Brands' financial recovery.

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The Government plans to tax commercial property owners an extra $575 million a year in order to fund residential property and income tax cuts. 

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is standing by her decision to remove ability for commercial and industrial owners to deduct depreciation as an expense going forward.

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains the impact of these changes.

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Question marks over the Christchurch Call, as Budget Day approaches.

Newstalk ZB's revealed the organisation led by Dame Jacinda Ardern has been accused of pressuring its advisory network to not publicise critical reports.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon says it's done good things - but now there's a conversation to be had, on how the organisation evolves now, five years on.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper wonders if the Christchurch Call can serve a purpose.

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The Insurance Council is backing calls for Kiwis to lift their understanding of the risks of natural hazards.

The Reserve Bank has released an excerpt on insurance in its upcoming Financial Stability Report.

It says insurers, Government, home buyers and lenders all need to up their knowledge, so that future insurance affordability challenges, can be better managed.

Insurance Council chief executive Kris Faafoi says it's likely more places will become harder to insure as more risks are identified.

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Foreign Minister Winston Peters has delivered a speech to the Institute of International Affairs at Parliament.

Peters laid out the the challenges and opportunities facing New Zealand's foreign policy - touching on the war in both Ukraine and Gaza.

He outlined our position in AUKUS, saying we must first be invited to join in the first place.

ZB political reporter Sophie Trigger says Peters says the Government will need to weigh up the economic and security benefits and costs of any decision either way.

A woman interrupted Peters, holding up a sign protesting AUKUS before being thrown out.

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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 1 May 2024, the unemployment rate has risen to 4.3% - the highest it's been in three years. BNZ's Stephen Toplis tells Heather whether this means we'll see interest rates drop soon.

The Real Estate Institute is disappointed the Government doesn't want to regulate property managers anymore.

Former National MP Simon O'Connor reveals how he found out he was targeted by Chinese hackers - but the Government didn't tell him.

The Huddle gets into a rowdy debate over whether the Hamilton-Auckland train is worth our money, and whether we should keep testing the elderly before reissuing their drivers licences.

Plus the best bits from James Shaw's final speech in Parliament.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Matt Heath from Radio Hauraki and Jack Tame From ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

New reports show the Hamilton-Auckland Te Huia train service is meeting all its targets. Does this mean the Government should keep funding it? How long can the service last?

The Government has scrapped a Bill designed to regulate property managers, with Housing Minister Chris Bishop blaming the added costs to property managers and marginal benefits. Do residential property managers need more regulations?

Advocacy group Grey Power is calling for changes to elderly driver assessments, claiming the current process penalises licence holders in most need. Is this fair? What do we think?

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There's hope that the Te Huia train service from Hamilton to Auckland is on track for more funding after July.

An interim performance assessment of the past two years shows increased demand with targets for 250 passengers a day on weekdays and 100 on the weekend being achieved.

It's also meeting its net emissions goal 80 percent of the time.

Waikato regional councillor Angela Strange says the service has been exceeding established targets.

"What the report doesn't show is that since we've added new services, we're smashing those targets out of the room."

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Grey Power is calling for a change in elderly driver assessments, claiming the current process penalises licence holders in most need.

The SIMARD-MD and Mini-ACE are cognitive tests designed to identify drivers at risk, but these tests have faced criticism for not accounting for driving ability. 

Grey Power vice president David Marshall says people have labelled these tests 'demeaning'.

"A vast majority of the patients aren't at that stage, so they go through the stress of these tests - and then they can forget and fail and then have to be sent on for additional testing."

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A former National MP has revealed details of being targeted by Chinese state-sponsored hackers in 2021.

Simon O'Connor and former Labour MP Louisa Wall claim they were specifically hit in the cyber-attack, revealed last month.

Both say they weren't informed by the current or previous Government - and want an investigation.

Both represented New Zealand on the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.

O'Connor says the hackers sent a dodgy pixel in an emailed image.

"If we'd opened it, it would have sent information such as what browser we'd been using, what's our IP address - and that's then sort of the first steps for a further attempt to be made to extricate more information from our systems."

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Economists forecast unemployment will climb higher.

New data shows it reached 4.3 percent in March, up from 4 percent in the December quarter.

This comes at a time where higher interest rates are biting, as the Reserve Bank tries to rein in inflation.

BNZ Head of Research Stephen Toplis says it could go as high as 5.5 percent.

"We're really sort of experiencing, I think, the worst of things at the moment. But before the labour market turns around, you're probably looking at another six to nine months after that. So I think the unemployment rate keeps rising until the middle of next year."

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Over in the US, police are still out in full force at New York's Columbia University.

Hundreds of officers have cleared a campus building occupied by students holding a pro-Palestinian protest.

US correspondent, Dan Mitchinson, says police have been asked to stay through the middle of the month.

He says it's sparked activism on dozens of campuses.

"I don't think we've had demonstrations like these probably since the 60's - not since the Vietnam war protests."

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Kirk Penney has become just the second New Zealander to earn selection in international basketball's Hall of Fame.

The Tall Blacks icon will join Pero Cameron - selected in 2017 - as a FIBA Hall of Famer.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

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There's disappointment a Bill that would have regulated property managers more has been withdrawn.

Housing Minister Chris Bishop has scrapped the Property Managers bill, saying the cost-benefit was marginal at best.

He says it would have cost tenants and landlords.

Real Estate Institute CEO Jen Baird says the figures involved were small.

"Some of the numbers that I've seen have been 43 cents per property per week, up to about $2.50 per property per week."

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Prince Harry is set to visit the UK for the Invictus Games's 10-year anniversary - but he won't be meeting with his father.

Reports suggest King Charles' diary is full and the monarch will be 'too busy' to see Prince Harry this time.

UK correspondent Enda Brady says this shows tensions are still high between the rest of the royals and Harry.

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The latest ANZ Business Outlook survey shows confidence is declining.

Business confidence dropped 8 points to +15 in April, expected own activity fell 9 points to +14, and past own activity dropped 13 points to -20.

Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen explains what this means for the state of the economy. 

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Australian financial markets appear to be bracing themselves for bad news.

They've made a sudden shift from pricing in rate cuts to pricing in potential rate hikes, and economists fear increases to the OCR are coming.

HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says interest rates aren't likely to be dropping any time this year.

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Australia's farmers have been struggling under ongoing droughts and low rainfall.

The unfavourable weather conditions have led to farmers de-stocking or selling their stock at a significant loss.

The Country's Rowena Duncum warns it'll take more than one rainstorm to address this.

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A newly-released report from the entity tasked with setting MPs' pay has recommended multiple pay rises over the coming three years.

The Remuneration Authority's recommendation would see the Prime Minister's salary incrementally go from $471,000 a year now, to $520,000 a year in July 2026.

ZB political correspondent Barry Soper says the perception is this is concerning, in light of recent cuts to the pay of medical workers.

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A 17-year-old girl has shocked NSW authorities by stabbing her younger sister to death.

Emergency services were called to a Boolaroo address to address a stabbing that occurred at 3:45pm on Monday.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says police were mystified by this case - and haven't uncovered a motive.

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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 30 April 2024, the Prime Minister and all MPs are in for a significant pay rise. Remuneration Authority Chair Geoff Summers tells Heather how he determined how much more they should be paid.

Exclusive revelations about the Christchurch Call. Whistleblower Milton Mueller from the Georgia Institute of Technology reveals how the Christchurch Call's independent advisory network was pressured to bury reports that were critical of how call members were implementing their commitments.

The Huddle debates whether Air NZ is an embarrassment given that Jetstar is now more reliable than our national airline.

And Qatar wants to host Rugby's Nations Championship. Heather argues we can't ignore $1.68 billion on offer despite Qatar's questionable human rights record.

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New anti-scam measures are on the way for online banking.

The New Zealand Banking Association has today announced our banks will roll out a 'confirmation of payee' service by the end of the year.

It will make direct cash transfers more secure, by cross checking names registered to accounts when transfers are made.

Chief executive Roger Beaumont says this project has been in the works since September 2023. 

"This is something that takes time, it has been progressed since we announced that in September - and we're moving at that pace." 

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Tonight on The Huddle, Kaine Thompson and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Do we really need to keep funding the Christchurch Call? It's been revealed the Christchurch Call Secretariat pressured an independent advisory network not to publish critical reports into members of the Call. Should we scrap it?

Despite the tough economic climate, it's been confirmed MPs are getting a pay rise. Do they deserve this?

New reports have revealed Jetstar is now more reliable than Air New Zealand. Is this surprising?

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Newstalk ZB can reveal allegations the Christchurch Call has silenced members of its Advisory Network - and pressured them to not release critical reports of member countries.

Because of that, a group called the Internet Governance Project, has quit.

Project founder and Network reviewer, Milton Mueller says India wasn't honouring its commitments.

"They really didn't seem to have much of an official commitment to go along with the Christchurch Call at all, so we simply wrote that up."

Meanwhile, the Government says it will soon reveal whether it will keep paying Dame Jacinda Ardern to work on the Christchurch Call.

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Rugby could be headed to the Middle East for the new Nations Championship, according to new reports.

Qatar has reportedly made a bid to host the three-day finals event - a bid that promises commercial returns of $1.68 billion (NZD).

Former All Black Sir John Kirwan is hopeful the power of sport can create a platform to address the outside issues in Qatar.

"You'd be hoping that our leadership across rugby - World Rugby and New Zealand Rugby - are putting some pressure on. They want the rugby to come there, they have oil money, but we also need to use that platform to ask serious questions."

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Air New Zealand's reliability has fallen - and it's trailing Jetstar in figures for last month as it grapples with engine problems.

Only 77 percent of its domestic flights arrived within 15 minutes of scheduled times last month, down from 88 percent in January.

Jetstar reported no domestic cancellations last month and almost 79 percent of flights were on time.

Consumer NZ CEO Jon Duffy says it's good opportunity for Jetstar to boost their reputation.

"It's a great opportunity for them to show that they're lifting their game - and become more of competitive threat to Air New Zealand."

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The Remuneration Authority says the Prime Minister's pay increase is fair.

Chris Luxon's turned down the $50,000 salary boost over three years, and promises to donate it to charity.

Chair Geoff Summers says a lot of work's gone into determining the figure - including job comparisons.

He says our MP pay is relatively low internationally.

"It's behind most other Westminster democracies - we had a good look at that, the tables are in the report. They're even behind most of the state MPs in Australia, except for Tasmania."

Chris Luxon's salary would riss from $471,000 to $520,000 in 2026.

Normal MPs' 163-thousand-dollar pay packets would rise to $181,000.

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New Zealand Rugby has shouldered arms to reports Qatar has offered up more than a billion-and-a-half dollars to host the finals of rugby's new Nations Championship from 2026.

A new report claims the gulf state wants the rights to 'finals weekend' of the tournament across four editions spanning eight years.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains the situation further.

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Brace yourself, because it looks like we’re about to have another debate about whether sport should be taking money from Qatar.

And this time, we’re probably going to care more about this as a nation, because this time - the sport is rugby.

It's being reported that Qatar has made an offer to host the new upcoming Nations Championship, which is the tournament that basically combines the Six Nations up in Europe and the Rugby Championship down in the Southern Hemisphere - and then possibly adds in Fiji and Japan just to get to 12 nations.

It’s supposed to happen every couple of years, played across the winter rugby window and then culminating in a finals weekend in November.

This is what Qatar has offered to host, that finals weekend. They will bill it as a sort of 'Super Bowl of rugby' and they've promised commercial returns of $1.7 billion (NZD).

Come on, the rugby bosses would be idiots to turn this down, wouldn't they?

Unless they know that they can get better money elsewhere - and where are they going to get better money?

Because they are short on cash. NZR is losing money fast, it's burning through its Silver Lake money, and Rugby Australia just posted a deficit yesterday.

They've got seven days to decide if they’ll start exclusive negotiations with Qatar, and if they go ahead - you know what will happen.

There will be years of angsting over whether they’re selling their souls to a state known for the abuse of migrants and the mistreatment of the LGBTQIA+ community, and people will rage about it and threaten to boycott.

And it will carry on until the first whistle, but then it'll go quiet and we will love the tournament. We'll love the the seven world-class stadia within 55 km of Doha, the public transport and the luxurious six-star hotels - and we will declare it a success.

Because that is what happened with the Football World Cup 2 years ago, it's probably what will happen with the World Aquatics Championships, the Basketball World Cup in three years time, the 2036 Olympics if Qatar wins the bid - and maybe even the rugby.

As I say, unless rugby can get better money elsewhere, they’d be idiots to turn this one up.

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Two out of three job applicants have admitted to 'rage-applying' to new roles out of frustration with their employers, according to new research.

A surveycarried out by recruitment specialist Robert Walters indicates over half of the 2000 respondents were motivated to leave a toxic work environment.

Robert Walters commercial director Stuart Nash says this is proof workplace culture matters to employees - and leadership should pay attention.

"Culture is so important - and good leaders create great culture. Culture is one of those things that's difficult to quantify, but we do know it makes a difference."

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One of the UK's biggest retail groups has confirmed it plans to give job applicants their interview questions beforehand in an attempt to make the process fairer.

John Lewis and Waitrose applicants across all skill levels will have access to these questions from the company's websites. 

UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacks the mass reactions to this idea.

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All eyes will be on Foreign Minister Winston Peters ahead of his hotly-anticipated foreign policy speech.

Peters is expected to deliver a notable, forward-looking address in Parliament this Wednesday to the Institute of International Affairs.

NZME business commentator Fran O'Sullivan suspects AUKUS will be a part of it.

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It's been a big day for the Education Minister, as she's released more education priorities - and promised extra incentive for teachers.

The Government's hotly-anticipated ban on cell phones also kicked in today, as students returned for Term Two. 

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Minister Erica Stanford still has plenty of obstacles ahead.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was heckled and dubbed a 'liar' at a weekend rally held outside Parliament House.

Thousands of people attended the 'No More! National Rally Against Violence' march in protest of the multiple violent deaths of Australian women this year.

Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Albanese was asked not speak - and the optics of this aren't good.

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Pharmac has received a funding boost - but the Government says it's to cover a 'fiscal cliff' left by Labour.

Associate Health Minister David Seymour revealed the drug-buying agency will be bolstered by more than $1.7 billion over four years, as part of the Budget.

Medicines New Zealand CEO Graeme Jarvis says he was aware of this gap in funding.

He says the Covid-19 pandemic created more fiscal cliffs to be dealt with than even Treasury considered.

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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday 29 April 2024, Associate Health Minister David Seymour tells Heather why an extra $1.7 billion for Pharmac is merely keeping the lights on at our drug buying agency - but won't buy us more medicines.

It's bad news for the coalition in the latest political poll as Labour closes the gap with National and NZ First slips below the 5% threshold. Finance Minister and Deputy National leader Nicola Willis tells Heather why she's not fazed.

Police Minister Mark Mitchell responds to a wave of violent daylight burglaries in shopping malls.

Mobile phones are officially off limits in NZ schools from today, Principals Association president Vaughan Couillault reveals how many phones he's confiscated so far.

The Huddle debates whether Victoria University should have cancelled a free speech debate, and if handing out jobs to former MPs is "jobs for the boys".

Plus would Heather drink breast milk like the Kardashians?

Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Infrastructure New Zealand CEO Nick Leggett joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Victoria University has copped plenty of backlash over their decision to postpone a free speech event after pushback from the students. Should they have left the event alone?

Paula Bennett is the latest former National MP to get appointed into a Government role - she's the new chair for Pharmac. Is she the latest case of the Government handing out jobs to mates? Was the opposition just as guilty of this?

Today marks the first day of the Government's cell phone ban in schools. It seems to have gone off without a hitch-  what do we think of this?

Should we bring back the fees to resit a drivers licence test? 

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The Finance Minister has brushed off a tough new poll result for the coalition.

The latest 1News Verian poll shows a two percent fall for National to have them on 36 percent.

Act is down one to 7 percent and New Zealand First is on 4 percent.

Those numbers mean the left block of Labour, the Greens and Te Pāti Māori could govern.

Minister Nicola Willis says she isn't losing her head over it.

"Oh well. We've had this conversation before - polls move up and down, and there is not an election tomorrow. So our job as a Government is to focus on getting on with business."

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Wellington's Victoria University has hit pause on a controversial debate, after student backlash.

A panel discussion around the role of universities in free speech has been pushed back to the end of May, following the opposition from students.

The Free Speech Union's Jonathan Ayling, who was expected to attend, has expressed confusion at being included as part of the backlash.

"I challenge anyone to find references to me spouting hate speech of any kind. It is simply the fact -and my opponents will admit this - that I have defended speech rights of those who they claim have expressed hate speech."

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Kāinga Ora has been fined $6,000 for being too slow to evict unruly tenants.

Stuff reports Kāinga Ora was forced to pay a woman terrorised by neighbours and fellow social housing tenants.

The antisocial tenants defecated outside her door, and it's alleged they threw a woman off a balcony.

Lawyer Adina Thorn says any other landlord would've kicked them out much sooner.

"It takes people a lot of time hassling Kāinga Ora - and they've got to basically be at a wits end before Kāinga Ora will step up."

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Kiwi kids have endured their first day of no cell phones at school.

Students can no longer use or access their phone at school under new Government legislation.

Many schools started phasing the rule in from Term One, before the ban came into force this term.

Secondary Principals' Association president Vaughan Couillault says not many students were found breaking the rules at his school today.

"Well, I've got three cell phones that have been confiscated in the front office, so you'd have to say out of 1800 students, it looks like three of them got busted."

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David Seymour says the Prime Minister would have a tougher job sacking a minister from ACT than from National.

Luxon stood down Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds from portfolios last week.

Seymour says it would take a bigger process if Luxon wanted to give the boot to one of his party's ministers.

"What I did say is- if we were going to have that sort of action, then the coalition agreement requires good faith, it requires conversation - and it ultimately requires agreement on these sorts of things."

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The Black Caps squad for the T20 cricket World Cup in the West Indies and United States has been named.

The 15-strong squad features just two players - Matt Henry and Rachin Ravindra - who've never played at the tournament.

Sportstalk host Jason Pine unpacks today's reveal.

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The Police Minister says he's deeply concerned about the ages of robbers plundering Auckland jewellery stores.

In the past two weeks, at least five aggravated robberies have spanned Auckland - at Westgate, Newmarket, Onehunga and Manurewa.

Minister Mark Mitchell says in the most recent incident, the robbers were aged between nine and fourteen.

He says plans for youth military academies are a big part of their response.

"That's going to be targeted at those worst recidivist violent youth offenders, because at the end of the day,  we want to invest in these young people and try to get them back on the right track."

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As you know, today is the official first day of the ban on cell phones in schools.

For most parents and teachers and kids it's actually not a particularly special milestone, given that most schools started bringing in these bans at the start of the year. But today is the first day that it's actually in force.

And you know what? 

The thing that I found most surprising about this is how overwhelmingly popular it is. One high school's principal even says they wished they'd done it five years ago, because the kids are interacting more in the playground.

Waitara High's principal says the academic outcomes are improving, because they did it already at the start of last year. He says the change is the most important thing he has done in at least 20 years of teaching.

Stratford High School's principal says the kids are talking more. He describes it as an 'overwhelming success'.

Now, what makes this even better is that it has cost us nothing. We don't have to spend any money buying things or hiring people, we just changed a rule. How good is that? There's an outcome for absolutely no cost.

I'm going to take a lesson from this- it's to ignore the naysayers. Because if you cast your mind back, you'll remember there were heaps of critics who were poo-pooing this idea when it was first mooted before the election.

Even principals were saying - you can't ban the phones, kids need the phones for some projects in school, it's going to be a logistical nightmare, who's going to stand at the front gate collecting all the phones, etc.

Even the Ministry of Education said there was only marginal evidence it would improve student achievement.

Have a look at it now - now everybody loves it.

Of course they were going to love it, it was always a smart idea. Because it's common sense, isn't it? Because phones are distracting.

The fundamentals of this idea work, right? Phones are distracting, we all know this because we've all got one. And if they're distracting to adults, who have some degree of self-discipline, they're going to be much more distracting to kids.

And distraction is bad for grades and it's bad for behaviour, so if we follow it through - obviously it's common sense to take the phones out of schools.

There are too many naysayers on every suggestion nowadays, so the lesson I'm taking is - in the future, ignore them.

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New Zealanders are staying in paid work longer in an effort to transition into retirement, according to a new study. 

The average age Kiwi’s are choosing to retire has risen to 67 from 61, since the mandatory retirement age was eliminated in 2000. 

Co-director of the Retirement Policy and Research Centre Michael Littlewood tells Jack Tame that New Zealand’s state pension is generous, but not enough to live on for some. But, the real reason people choose to transition from full-time work to full-time retirement is not known. 

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Eden Park is reportedly set to win the battle of Auckland’s stadiums. The Sports Huddle discuss whether the stadium remains fit for purpose. 

Plus, are the Crusaders underperforming or were expectations too high? Is it time to panic for Warriors fans? And, could NZ hold a second Supercars round? 

Newshub Sport Presenter Andrew Gourdie and Newstalk ZB Deputy Sport News Director Elliott Smith join Jack Tame. 

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Eden Park is reportedly about to win the battle of Auckland’s stadiums. 

On Monday, a working committee will make a recommendation to Auckland Council on whether to invest in Eden Park or one of the rival waterfront stadium bids. 

NZ Herald Sports Columnist Trevor Mckewen tells Jack Tame as an existing location, Eden Park could be a cheaper option than others starting from scratch. 

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A unique re-homing program has been set up for actual lab rats across New Zealand. 

The New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society (NZAVS) are working with the scientific community to find former lab rats their forever homes, while pushing the Government to stop animal testing. 

Executive Director of NZAVS Tara Jackson tells Jack Tame NZ has nearly half a million animals who are bred for science, not used, and subsequently killed. 

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Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein has had his 2020 rape conviction overturned. The New York Court of Appeal found that Weinstein did not receive a fair trial, due to witness testimony including accusations that were not part of the case. 

Los Angeles KNX News Presenter Charles Feldman tells Jack Tame the next step will be for the New York District Attorney to decide whether to retry the case. 

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After hours clinics around the country are on the verge of collapse. 

New Official Information Act data shows that 24 practices and clinics had to reduce hours or close due to critical staff shortages and cost pressures in the first eight months of 2023. 

In Porirua, health officials are considering replacing overnight doctors with a telehealth service, which the local iwi says is unacceptable. 

Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists tells Jack Tame that deliberately casualised medical staffing is exaggerating the issue. 

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Ministers have a big weekend in store ahead of Monday’s Cabinet meeting, which will be one of the last major steps in signing off the 2024 budget. 

Newstalk ZB Political Editor Jason Walls tells Jack Tame this budget is one of the most significant in recent years as the Government tries to balance the country’s fiscal position and balance between three coalition partners. 

And, Winston Peters used his speech at yesterday’s ANZAC Dawn Service in Turkey to reflect while taking a jab at the Russians. 

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The Supreme Court has weighed whether former presidents are immune from prosecution and what exactly it means if they are. 

The answer will determine whether former President Donald Trump can be tried on charges of trying to subvert the 2020 election. Trump believes he is entitled to absolute immunity from criminal charges for actions committed while in office. 

US correspondent Dan Mitchinson tells Jack Tame the Supreme Court appeared ready to reject Trump’s claims, but that a clear answer may not be given. The decision will shape US democracy for years to come. 

Meanwhile, Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction has been overturned, reversing a landmark ruling of the #MeToo era. New York’s highest court found the trial judge made a critical mistake allowing testimony based on allegations that were not part of the case. 

And, Madonna has been sued by fans again. A group of fans in Washington D.C. say the singer made them wait hours in a “hot, uncomfortable arena” before lip syncing her performance. 

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The Warriors have suffered their third loss in a row, losing at home to the Gold Coast Titans in yesterday’s ANZAC clash. 

Weekend Sport host Jason Pine tells Jack Tame the team’s roster remains as strong as it did at the start of the season and fans shouldn’t worry just yet. 

Meanwhile, the Crusaders are at the bottom of the Super Rugby Pacific table after just one victory in eight games. Piney places his bets that tonight’s match against the Melbourne Rebels may change the tide. 

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New Zealand is set for a new player in the supermarket landscape. 

Residents of Nawton, Hamilton will soon be walking through the doors of the biggest, independent supermarket in NZ, FIFO – Fresh In Fresh Out. The suburb has been without a supermarket for eight months after losing its Countdown due to persistent retail crime. 

Owner Manish Thakkar tells Jack Tame the new supermarket will be financially viable in a way the location’s previous Countdown could not be due to its independence and ability to be stocked by a variety of suppliers, tailoring to residents specific needs. 

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Two days on, it’s fair to say Christopher Luxon’s swift and brutal demotion of Penny Simmonds and Melissa Lee hasn’t met much opposition. I appreciate these are early days for the new government and all Ministers are bedding in, but I don’t think I’ve heard a single person publicly argue that Lee or Simmonds was doing a sufficiently good job. Not one. 

Of course, opposition MPs feel duty-bound to attack in these kinds of moments. Chris Hipkins said it showed the PM had terrible judgement in appointing his Ministers in the first place.  

But the co-leader of Te Pāti Māori found a different reason to criticise it. It wasn’t that Melissa Lee simply wasn’t cut out for Cabinet and that Penny Simmonds was lost at sea. It wasn’t that facing pressures in their portfolios, the new Ministers hadn’t adapted quickly enough. Apparently, it was misogyny. 

Based on what? Well, as Debbie Ngarewa-Packer noted, Luxon hasn’t been as forceful with male MPs in his Cabinet who’ve made public comments out of turn. But, of course, there’s a perfectly good non-gendered explanation for that. The reason Luxon hasn’t publicly hammered ACT and New Zealand First Ministers is that they are ACT and New Zealand First Ministers. 

Arguably... if competence and discipline were the only things concerning the Prime Minister when it comes to Ministerial portfolios and the make up of his Cabinet, Casey Costello might have had an awkward phone call several months ago. 

Some of what Debbie Ngarewa-Packer says is fair enough. She says the Ministers should have been offered more support before being cut, that other senior Ministers should have stepped in and helped. I disagree – Melissa Lee in particular had years to prepare for this moment. But even so... that’s a criticism of the process which doesn’t reflexively bounce to an identity extreme. 

Misogyny exists. Of course it does. It exists in the private sector. It certainly exists in politics. But crying misogyny when Ministers are demoted when there are far more obvious explanations – like incompetence - actually undermines the greater issue. It devalues legitimate misogyny criticisms. Most reasonable people can see Christopher Luxon didn’t demote his Ministers because they’re women. He demoted them because when the pressure came on, they weren’t up to it. 

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Rishi Sunak says UK military spending would rise to 2.5 percent of national income by 2030 in response to global threats.

Sunak has also committed to giving the Ukraine £3 billion a year for as long as the current war goes on.

UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains why Sunak is committed to keeping the UK on a  "war footing".

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Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Business Mentors CEO Sarah Trotman joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!

Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds have been unexpectedly stripped of their portfolios today - what do we think of this? Is this good leadership from Luxon?

Elon Musk has been clashing with the Australian Government over the Sydney church stabbing videos appearing on X. Can a Government tell a company what content it can display online? Why is Elon doubling down?

People are protesting Auckland Council's removal of rubbish bins by leaving their dog poo bags at the park. Should the council just put the bins back?

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As Netflix releases their results for first quarter, they've promised some new changes to the service.

The company's shares have dropped by nine percent, and speculation indicates the company could introduce ads to the service.

Milford Asset Management's Deborah Lambie explains further.

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There's been more light shined on the conflicting coverage of public sector job growth.

Labour's Chris Hipkins has justified the growth of the public sector under the previous Government- does he have a point?

NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains both sides of the issue.

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Prime Minister Chris Luxon has revealed surprise tweaks to Cabinet.

Melissa Lee's lost her Media and Communications portfolio and been booted from Cabinet and Penny Simmonds' Disability role has gone to Louise Upston.

ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper dissects Luxon's reasons for the reshuffle.

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New reports show Tesla is experiencing a steep decline in profits and revenue - but the company's shares jumped 10 percent.

The electric vehicle manufacturer posted a lower-than-expected $21.3 billion in revenue and 55 percent decline in profit from the first quarter of 2023.

AJ Bell financial advisor Danni Hewson says investors believe CEO Elon Musk aims to focus more attention on Tesla, with more projects in the pipeline.

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New Zealand has achieved its first trading surplus since last May.

Stats NZ trade data for March 2024 shows a monthly surplus of $588 million.

Goods exports rose 3.8 percent in March on March 2023 - driven by fruit exports, which rose $170 million.

ANZ economist Henry Russell says this is down to a post-pandemic bounce-back - and a weakening domestic economy.

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The Defence Force is facing an unexpected challenge ahead of ANZAC commemorations in Gallipoli.

About half the luggage of the 40-strong team is lost in transit at Dubai, including uniforms and instruments.

RSA CEO Marty Donoghue says he expects the team will come up with a backup plan ahead of tomorrow's event.

"I think the contingent will be really gutted it doesn't have its instruments and uniforms with them - but there is always a way you can solemnly remember and do a remembrance activity."

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American comedian Arj Barker is on the defence after last weekend's incident

Barker has sparked controversy across the Tasman after he asked a mother and baby to leave his Melbourne comedy show on Saturday, because the baby was disrupting his performance.

He says he had no interest in shaming the woman or her child - but he wanted to create a quiet soundscape. 

"I just wanted to create an uninterrupted soundscape so I could do my show. This was a very quiet theatre... it's a beautiful theatre, but you could hear a pin drop in there." 

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Dog walkers in Auckland's Remuera and Pt Chevalier have been leaving poo bags where rubbish bins used to be.

The council's been removing bins with low historical use since last November to save money.

Orakei Local Board member Troy Churton says the protest is duly noted, but it's no reason to keep dump dog faeces.

"I can definitely raise this with my board - and will do so - that some of the bins we've taken can be reinstated."

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The Prime Minister is defending today's surprise Cabinet reshuffle.

Luxon has demoted Melissa Lee from Cabinet and stripped her of the Broadcasting and Media portfolio, giving it to Paul Goldsmith.

He's also sacked Penny Simmonds as the Minister for Disabilities, handing the role to Louise Upston.

Prime Minister Luxon says he needs the right people in the right assignments at the right time - and both roles have gotten more complex.

"They're good, hardworking ministers, they've still got my full confidence, they've still got key roles to play with portfolios on our team and key roles to deliver on - but this is really just acknowledging both of those portfolios have changed."

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New US-based research suggests women are less likely to die when treated by female doctors.

A study has followed people 65 and older, observing data on those who died within 30 days of seeing a doctor.

8.15 percent of women who died had been treated by female physicians, but that rose to 8.38 percent for women who'd been seen by a man.

For male patients, their doctor's gender made no difference.

US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the numbers may seem like a tiny gap, but it could save 5,000 lives each year.

"The study suggests that they are less likely to have experienced miscommunication and misunderstanding and bias." 

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The Warriors have an eye to the future with another landmark signing.

19-year-old halfback Jett Cleary - younger brother of Penrith halfback Nathan and son of former Warriors and current Panthers coach Ivan - has signed a three-year deal from next season.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.

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There's growing calls for transparency and clarity around anti-doping processes.

This comes after the revelation that the World Anti-Doping Agency cleared 23 Chinese swimmers to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, despite testing positive for a banned substance.

Former World Anti-Doping Agency director general David Howman says aspects of this don't pass the 'smell test'.

"They could be better in terms of disclosure, be transparent and they should provide more clarity as to the actual process that was followed." 

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I have got nothing bad to say about Chris Luxon demoting Melissa Lee and Penny Simmonds today.

This is exactly the kind of performance management that the country deserves, don't you think?

Obviously on a human level, I feel sorry for both of those ministers because this will humiliating - but don’t tell me this wasn’t deserved.

Melissa Lee has done an appalling job of looking like she knows what she’s doing with media, with senior commentators going on the radio to say - "She doesn't know what she's doing."

And Penny Simmonds oversaw one of the biggest stuff ups for the Government, with the cutting of disability-related funding.

So Melissa Lee's been stripped of the media portfolio and kicked out of Cabinet and Penny Simmonds has lost the disability portfolio - and she was already a minister outside of Cabinet.

Now this does two things: 

Firstly, it signals to voters that are there are standards in this Cabinet and incompetence will not be tolerated. That is a great signal to send to voters, it will likely lift the public regard of Cabinet.

Secondly, it sends a very important message to other ministers that if you stuff up in public, this will happen to you. Luxon's made it clear we're going to see more of this as the Government goes along, and there is nothing like the threat of losing a job to make someone pull their socks up.

What's happened today will shock a lot of people, because over the last few years we've got used to Prime Minsters just putting up with their ministers doing a bad job or behaving badly in public.

Kiri Allan, Phil Twyford, Michael Wood, Clare Curran, even Nanaia Mahuta - the Foreign Minister who didn't like international travel.

It took forever for Hipkins or Ardern to demote the under-performers, and they suffered for it - public opinion of them was tainted.

That is clearly not how Chris Luxon operates, and it’s a good thing.

Because who doesn’t want performance from the people that we pay to run the country?

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The Reserve Bank of New Zealand is pushing back at a proposal by the Commerce Commission to increase competition in the banking sector.

The Commerce Commission has made multiple suggestions, including asking the Reserve Bank to tolerate more risk so that smaller banks and lenders have a chance to add competition in the market. 

Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Christian Hawkesby spoke with Heather du Plessis-Allan about the decision. 

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Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and former Chief of Staff to Jacinda Ardern, Mike Munro, joined in on a discussion about the issues of the day and more!

The Government has proposed a ban on gang patches, but will it work?

The Wellington Reading Cinemas deal is officially off the table - is it surprising that it took so long?

And is comedian Arj Barker in the right for kicking a breastfeeding mother out of his show?

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The controversial Reading Cinemas deal is off.

Wellington City Council announced this afternoon that it's ended negotiations because they couldn't get the best possible outcome for Wellingtonians.

Under the proposed deal, Wellington Council was set to buy the Reading Cinemas land for $32 million, then sell it back to Reading after a decade as a way to finance a future refurbishment.

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The Government has promised to install 10,000 EV chargers by 2030... and EV charging company Jolt has suggested lines companies should pay for the investment.

CEO of Vector, Simon Mackenzie, spoke with Heather du Plessis-Allan about who is responsible for covering the costs. 

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Comedian Arj Barker has hit back at criticism after he asked a breastfeeding mother to leave his show in Melbourne over the weekend. 

Arj said the seven month old's sounds were distracting him and "ruined his train of thought."

The NZ International Comedy Festival is about to kick off and the Chief Executive, Lauren Whitney, joined Heather to discuss what happened. 

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This morning I was listening to the radio, and I was quite shocked when I heard Labour’s Justice Spokesperson, Duncan Webb, talking about the Three Strikes Law. 

He said judges and lawyers hate it so much, they will find ways around it so they don’t have to implement it. 

He said because the law will now only apply to crimes with sentences over two years – 24 months, “we will see a lot of sentences at 23 months because judges and lawyers... hate this.” 

Now... that’s a shocker. 

Because what that tells you is that it’s just accepted that if judges and lawyers don’t like a law, they’ll find a way around it. 

It’s so widely known that Duncan just says it on the radio and nobody blinds an eyelid. 

It’s the reason, apparently, that when we had Three Strikes last time, no one ever made it to their third strike fully. 

There were 29 people on second strike, and even after eight years of the law, no one on a full third strike. 

The only guy who did make it to the third strike - the Wellington Kisser – only got a half punishment, because he was given permission to apply for parole after a third of his sentence. 

Now, the reason I’m telling you about this is because this is a live debate... the conduct of judges. 

What with the Waitangi Tribunal judges thinking it’s acceptable to summon a minister to answer to them, and the Supreme Court judges’ quite radical moves to insert Tikanga Maori into law, and the Law Society on Friday telling us off for criticising judges and calling them activist judges. 

That’s exactly what we’re talking about. 

Voters wanted the Three Strikes Law, all three parties in Government promised to bring it back; so when voters voted for them... they knew they were voting for the Three Strikes Law. 

This Government has a mandate to bring it back. 

But apparently it’s widely known... the courts will ignore it because they know better. 

No. That is not how our system works. Voters are the boss, Parliament has supremacy. 

Judges are expected to implement the law, and if the Law Society is worried about people losing trust in judges, it could be that criticism isn’t the problem – the way the judges ignore the intention of Parliament might be the problem. 

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The Justice Select Committee heard submissions on Tuesday on the Government's proposed ban on gang patches. 

Chris Macklin, Convener of the Law Society's Criminal Law Committee spoke to Heather du Plessis-Allan about why he critiqued the proposal. 

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It has been an eventful day in New York as the prosecution and defence laid out their cases in Donald Trump's hush money trial. 

The former president is accused of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels.

Heather spoke with criminal defence attorney Joseph Tully.

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