/on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/rss 九一星空无限 Tune into Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive, 4pm-7pm weekdays. Keep up with the latest news and developments from New Zealand and the world on 九一星空无限talk ZB Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:16:27 Z en /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/enda-brady-uk-correspondent-on-keir-starmer-chairing-an-emergency-meeting-to-discuss-israel-iran-conflict/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/enda-brady-uk-correspondent-on-keir-starmer-chairing-an-emergency-meeting-to-discuss-israel-iran-conflict/ Prime Minister  Sir Keir Starmer recently chaired a meeting to discuss the  UK’s response to the crisis in the Middle East. There's growing concerns the conflict could escalate further, should the US enter the conflict between Israel and Iran. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the UK Government will be weighing up a series of options, as the US hasn't revealed what actions they plan to take. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:39:11 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-was-it-a-mistake-for-new-zealand-to-pull-funding-for-the-cook-islands/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-was-it-a-mistake-for-new-zealand-to-pull-funding-for-the-cook-islands/ Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland councillor Maurice Williamson and Wellbeing Economy Alliance director Gareth Hughes joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Farmers are up in arms over new changes to the FBT that could potentially impact ute owners. What do we make of this? Do we see the Government changing this? Was it a mistake for New Zealand to pull funding for the Cook Islands? How bad do the optics look here? Shane Jones is floating the idea of getting rid of regional Government altogether. Is this a good idea? LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:30:01 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/sam-dickie-fisher-funds-expert-on-how-investors-can-prepare-for-geopolitical-disruptions/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/sam-dickie-fisher-funds-expert-on-how-investors-can-prepare-for-geopolitical-disruptions/ The Israel-Iran conflict has continued on for a week - and it's seen markets dropping as more fear the conflict intensifying. Experts also believes markets are likely to drop further if the US gets more involved in the conflict. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains the market impact of the conflict. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:16:11 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/full-show-podcast-19-june-2025/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/full-show-podcast-19-june-2025/ On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 19 June 2025, New Zealand has pulled almost $20 million of funding to the Cook Islands. Cook Islands 九一星空无限 journalist Rashneel Kumar broke the story, he tells Heather how he found out and how terrible our relationship is right now. Kiwibank's Jarrod Kerr is celebrating a surprisingly good GDP number for the first three months of the year - but still thinks more cuts to the OCR are desperately needed to boost the economy. Another talkback-walkback! The Government u-turns on proposed changes to Fringe Benefit Taxes for utes. Heather speaks to the only one person in the country who can prescribe magic mushrooms, Professor Cameron Lacey. Plus, the Huddle debates whether it was a mistake to pull funding from the Cook Islands. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:11:46 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jamie-mackay-the-country-host-on-huinga-dairy-farmer-brendan-attrill-winning-gordon-stephenson-trophy/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jamie-mackay-the-country-host-on-huinga-dairy-farmer-brendan-attrill-winning-gordon-stephenson-trophy/ Brendan Attrill, of Caiseal Trust in Taranaki, has been announced as the 2025 National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing. Attrill received the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase at Tākina in Wellington. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 07:08:38 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/liam-dann-nz-herald-business-editor-at-large-unpacks-recent-gdp-data-for-first-quarter-of-2025/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/liam-dann-nz-herald-business-editor-at-large-unpacks-recent-gdp-data-for-first-quarter-of-2025/ New data out of Stats NZ reveals the country's gross domestic product grew by 0.8 percent in the first quarter of 2025. It's a stronger result than predicted by the Reserve Bank and Treasury. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann unpacks these results - and voices his concerns about the future. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:56:38 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/beata-bukosa-niwa-atmospheric-scientist-on-the-carbon-sink-in-the-south-island/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/beata-bukosa-niwa-atmospheric-scientist-on-the-carbon-sink-in-the-south-island/ New research indicates New Zealand may be removing more carbon than it produces. A new study from NIWA has highlighted a potential carbon sink in Fiordland's native forests - and researchers found our environment absorbs at least 170 million tonnes of carbon per year. NIWA atmospheric scientist Beata Bukosa says it's still unclear where the carbon goes - and more research needs to be carried out. "It's maybe potentially exported somewhere else, so that's something we still need to figure out." LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:48:04 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/mark-hooper-federated-farmers-transport-spokesperson-on-the-backlash-to-the-governments-new-ute-tax/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/mark-hooper-federated-farmers-transport-spokesperson-on-the-backlash-to-the-governments-new-ute-tax/ Federated Farmers is calling on Revenue Minister Simon Watts to rule out new changes to the Fringe Benefit tax that would impact utes. The IRD has proposed major changes to the way FBT applies to utes and farmers are concerned this would set them back thousands of dollars a year. Federated Farmers' transport spokesperson Mark Hooper says this issue started drawing in more attention post-Fieldays. "We've had a little bit of communication with the minister's office - as I said, we looked at it from a farm perspective, we could see that there were some issues with the categories they had laid out."  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 06:30:27 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/chris-whelan-universities-nz-ceo-on-the-new-data-revealing-where-nz-universities-rank-in-the-world/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/chris-whelan-universities-nz-ceo-on-the-new-data-revealing-where-nz-universities-rank-in-the-world/ One expert has offered a positive view on Kiwi university ratings. Four of our institutions have improved their standing in the prestigious QS World University Rankings. Auckland University is highest at 65th place, and Otago is in the top 200 for the first time since 2022. Universities NZ chief executive Chris Whelan says they're good results. "Given the funding that we have per student is less than half of, say, the equivalent in the US and well below countries like Australia or the UK - we do incredibly well." LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:58:57 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/rashneel-kumar-cook-islands-journalist-on-new-zealand-pausing-funding-to-the-cook-islands/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/rashneel-kumar-cook-islands-journalist-on-new-zealand-pausing-funding-to-the-cook-islands/ There's claims the Cook Islands were left in the dark over New Zealand pausing funding.  Foreign Minister Winston Peters says a $20-million-dollar pot of development aid won't resume until trust is restored between our countries, who operate under a special relationship.  Its Prime Minister signed a comprehensive strategic partnership with China, without giving New Zealand any insight on the deal.  Cook Islands journalist Rashneel Kumar says the Government was caught off guard - and he explained that it has tried to ease fears the agreement with China may have caused.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:48:26 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jarrod-kerr-kiwibank-chief-economist-issues-warning-after-gdp-figures-unveiled/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jarrod-kerr-kiwibank-chief-economist-issues-warning-after-gdp-figures-unveiled/ Kiwibank's chief economist says GDP figures released today show good momentum - but the next report isn't looking as good.  Stats NZ says our gross domestic product grew a strong 0.8 percent in this year's first quarter. It's much higher than predicted by the Reserve Bank and Treasury. Jarrod Kerr says there is less optimism around the quarter ending June.  "The data that we talked about was for the first quarter - obviously, it pre-dates Trump's tariff announcements, which has thrown a whole lot of uncertainty into the year. And it also predates the recent spike in oil prices."  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:30:16 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jason-walls-newstalk-zb-political-editor-on-new-zealand-halting-cook-islands-funding-after-china-agreements/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jason-walls-newstalk-zb-political-editor-on-new-zealand-halting-cook-islands-funding-after-china-agreements/ The Foreign Minister's pushing back on suggestions our geopolitical stoush with the Cook Islands will impact our relationship with China.  Winston Peters this morning confirmed the Government's halted development aid to the Cooks, with his Ministry unhappy over the lack of clarity around the island nation's cooperation deal with China.  九一星空无限talk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Peters made it clear that New Zealand's issues are about the Cook Islands' lack of consultation with us.  LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:17:35 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/murray-olds-australian-correspondent-on-erin-pattersons-deadly-mushroom-trial-drawing-to-a-close/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/murray-olds-australian-correspondent-on-erin-pattersons-deadly-mushroom-trial-drawing-to-a-close/ After weeks and weeks of hearings, Erin Patterson's deadly mushroom trial is nearing its end. The 50-year-old is accused of intentionally serving a poisonous mushroom dish to her estranged husband's family in 2023. She maintains her innocence. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the jury is set to retire soon - and then a verdict will be unveiled. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:13:02 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jason-pine-sportstalk-host-outlines-predictions-ahead-of-super-rugby-pacific-final/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jason-pine-sportstalk-host-outlines-predictions-ahead-of-super-rugby-pacific-final/ The Chiefs and Crusaders are set to face off this coming Saturday in the Super Rugby Pacific final. The event sold out Christchurch’s Apollo Projects Stadium and fans are gearing up for a memorable match. Sportstalk host Jason Pine outlined his predictions ahead of the match. LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 05:03:03 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/cameron-lacey-psychiatrist-on-getting-approval-to-prescribe-magic-mushroom-treatment/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/cameron-lacey-psychiatrist-on-getting-approval-to-prescribe-magic-mushroom-treatment/ One single psychiatrist has been approved to prescribe psilocybin or 'magic mushrooms' for treatment-resistant depression. That psychiatrist is Professor Cameron Lacey, who welcomed the approval as an opportunity to provide treatment that can change people’s lives. Lacey says there's been a great deal of interest since he got permission to prescribe psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression. "I think it speaks to the demand and eagerness of which people have been following this field." LISTEN ABOVE Thu, 19 Jun 2025 04:48:45 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/gavin-grey-uk-correspondent-on-23andme-being-fined-millions-by-uk-watchdog/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/gavin-grey-uk-correspondent-on-23andme-being-fined-millions-by-uk-watchdog/ Genetic testing giant 23andMe is being fined millions of pounds by the UK's privacy watchdog following a high-profile data breach. The breach saw the personal information of seven million people stolen. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this is the most severe punishment the watchdog can impose. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 08:13:01 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jenee-tibshraeny-nz-herald-wellington-business-editor-on-nicola-willis-revealing-legal-advice-was-sought-over-rbnz-funding/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jenee-tibshraeny-nz-herald-wellington-business-editor-on-nicola-willis-revealing-legal-advice-was-sought-over-rbnz-funding/ The Finance Minister's revealed top-level legal advice was sought over the Reserve Bank's battle with Treasury for funding.  The bank received less money than it anticipated in the latest funding round - which prompted Adrian Orr to quit as Governor.  NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacks the issue further. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 08:04:00 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/andrew-curtayne-milford-asset-management-expert-on-the-market-reactions-to-the-israel-iran-conflict/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/andrew-curtayne-milford-asset-management-expert-on-the-market-reactions-to-the-israel-iran-conflict/ The conflict between Israel and Iran is continuing on - and it's sparked concerns among investors. US President Donald Trump has demanded Iran's unconditional surrender, as he weighs up whether to join Israel's targeting of nuclear sites. Milford Asset Management expert Andrew Curtayne explains the impact of the conflict. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:59:08 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-do-we-agree-with-the-government-scrapping-the-census/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-do-we-agree-with-the-government-scrapping-the-census/ Tonight on The Huddle, Kiwiblog writer and Curia pollster David Farrar and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  How do we feel about the Government overruling councils on decisions that negatively impact economic growth, development and employment? Is this necessary? The Government has confirmed they're going to scrap the census - do we agree with this move? Are the Crusaders being mean in banning cowbells from the Chiefs-Crusaders Super Rugby final? LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:54:22 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/satish-ranchhod-westpac-senior-economist-on-consumer-confidence-going-up-in-june/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/satish-ranchhod-westpac-senior-economist-on-consumer-confidence-going-up-in-june/ New data shows consumer confidence has gone up - but overall levels show people are feeling more pessimistic than optimistic about the economy.  The Westpac McDermott Miller Consumer Confidence index rose two points in June to 91.2, a modest rise from last quarter's drop. Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod says negative news and the rising cost of living are contributing to an uncertain outlook, but confidence is likely to improve once more mortgages drop. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:40:13 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/tony-morris-inland-revenue-spokesperson-on-the-horticulture-sector-not-paying-enough-tax/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/tony-morris-inland-revenue-spokesperson-on-the-horticulture-sector-not-paying-enough-tax/ The Inland Revenue Department has unveiled the horticulture sector hasn't paid their fair share of taxes. Over the last 10 months, the IRD has found $45 million dollars of undeclared tax - and almost 100 audits are in the works now, within the sector. Inland Revenue spokesperson Tony Morris says the department is seeing people being paid under the table, undeclared cash sales and withholding tax going unrecorded or not being deducted correctly "It's quite a complex industry - if there's payments going through with cash or what else, it's easy to get lost or for things to happen intentionally, where it's hard to track the money." LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:19:17 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/full-show-podcast-18-june-2025/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/full-show-podcast-18-june-2025/ On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 18 June 2025, you'll never have to fill out another census form! The Statistics Minister explains why he's getting rid of it. US media are reporting Donald Trump is considering whether or not to join Israel in bombing Iran's nuclear facilities. Melatonin will soon be available to buy over the counter for anyone struggling to sleep - and magic mushrooms can soon be prescribed to treat depression. Associate Health Minister David Seymour locks horns with Heather over his plan to strip workers rights from high income earners. Plus, Crusaders boss Colin Mansbridge defends his ban on cowbells for the Chiefs-Crusaders Super Rugby final this weekend. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:11:40 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/neil-holdom-new-plymouth-mayor-on-minister-chris-bishops-plan-to-take-power-away-from-local-authorities/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/neil-holdom-new-plymouth-mayor-on-minister-chris-bishops-plan-to-take-power-away-from-local-authorities/ New Plymouth's mayor is backing Government changes to take away power from local authorities.  Housing Minister Chris Bishop says new regulation in the Resource Management Act would stop councils stalling housing developments.  It would let him override councils on the grounds of their decisions negatively impacting economic growth.  Mayor Neil Holdom says as it is, elected officials have little input in the development of district plans.  "These things suck in millions of dollars, they're basically written by an elite bureaucracy of planners - and they've tied New Zealand up in knots." LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 07:00:54 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/robert-patman-otago-university-professor-for-international-relations-on-donald-trump-discussing-joining-israels-attacks-on-iran/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/robert-patman-otago-university-professor-for-international-relations-on-donald-trump-discussing-joining-israels-attacks-on-iran/ To strike or not to strike.  The US President has had talks with officials on joining Israel's attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. Since the initial attack on Friday, strikes have killed at least 224 Iranians and 24 Israelis. Otago University International Relations Professor Robert Patman says the split in Trump's supporter base will make things difficult.  Patman says many MAGA supporters want to stay out of foreign wars.  LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 06:42:41 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/colin-mansbridge-crusaders-chief-executive-on-the-decision-to-ban-cowbells-from-the-super-rugby-pacific-final/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/colin-mansbridge-crusaders-chief-executive-on-the-decision-to-ban-cowbells-from-the-super-rugby-pacific-final/ The Crusaders are hoping Chiefs fans will come check out the action at this weekend's Super Rugby Pacific final in Christchurch - but they've suggested leaving the cowbells at home. In a LinkedIn post, Crusaders chief executive Colin Mansbridge promised this would be a game fans would enjoy, but there's no room for cowbells in the stadium. Mansbridge jokingly claimed they'd be melted down and turned into a trophy - but he's serious about the risks. "You go to Eden Park, you go to FMG, you go to any other venue in the country and you've got a bit of leg room and a bit of bum room, but you don't in this place." LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 06:24:29 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/shane-reti-statistics-minister-on-the-government-scrapping-the-census-for-an-annual-survey/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/shane-reti-statistics-minister-on-the-government-scrapping-the-census-for-an-annual-survey/ The Statistics Minister says his agency is well up to transforming how the Census is done in New Zealand, despite previous short-comings. The five-yearly census is being replaced by a smaller, annual survey - and using Government department data. Stats NZ has faced past criticism over poor Census response rates  But Shane Reti says it's ready to turn that around. "There's been some fall-overs with Stats NZ - and actually, part of our job is also to build trust and to build quality with Stats NZ. I believe they'll be able to rebuild their reputation and deliver quality." LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:57:05 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/thomas-coughlan-nz-herald-political-editor-on-prime-minister-luxon-pushing-for-diplomacy-and-trade-during-china-visit/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/thomas-coughlan-nz-herald-political-editor-on-prime-minister-luxon-pushing-for-diplomacy-and-trade-during-china-visit/ The Prime Minister is pushing for diplomacy and trade in China  - as he visits with ministers and senior business leaders. Discussions will be held on boosting education and tourism, including attempting to attract more international students to New Zealand. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says the Government could look at making visa changes to make it easier on Chinese tourists. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:45:08 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/dan-mitchinson-us-correspondent-on-donald-trump-weighing-in-as-iran-israel-conflict-continues/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/dan-mitchinson-us-correspondent-on-donald-trump-weighing-in-as-iran-israel-conflict-continues/ The US is making veiled threats towards Iran - and demanding the country's unconditional surrender. Donald Trump is back in the White House after leaving the G7 summit in Canada early, to deal with escalation in the Middle East. The US President has spoken with Israel's Prime Minister, and says his administration knows exactly where Iran's supreme leader is. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the US originally stated it wasn't going to intervene - but that appears to have changed. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:35:37 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/darcy-waldegrave-sportstalk-host-on-cowbells-getting-banned-from-super-rugby-pacific-final/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/darcy-waldegrave-sportstalk-host-on-cowbells-getting-banned-from-super-rugby-pacific-final/ The Crusaders don’t want Chiefs fans to bring cowbells to the Super Rugby Pacific final in Christchurch on Saturday. The final is set up as the perfect crescendo to a compelling 2025 season, with the Chiefs, the number one ranked team in the round robin and second ranked Crusaders to duke it out. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the ban ahead of the match. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:26:23 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/david-seymour-associate-health-minister-on-melatonin-being-made-available-over-the-counter-at-nz-pharmacies/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/david-seymour-associate-health-minister-on-melatonin-being-made-available-over-the-counter-at-nz-pharmacies/ Changes to allow over the counter sales of sleep drug melatonin in New Zealand - alongside relaxing rules on magic mushrooms as medicine. MedSafe's approved melatonin for sale to adults without a prescription. Psilocybin remains unapproved, but one specifically qualified psychiatrist is now permitted to prescribe it for treatment-resistant depression. Associate Health Minister David Seymour is standing by not revealing the doctor's name -  saying they could get harassed because of people confusing it with a recreational drug. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:18:40 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/opinion/perspective-with-heather-du-plessis-allan-scrapping-the-census-was-long-overdue/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/opinion/perspective-with-heather-du-plessis-allan-scrapping-the-census-was-long-overdue/ You know what I’m not going to miss? The census. If there anything that showed how bad Governments can be at embracing technology, it was the census. At a time when Governments collect huge amounts of electronic data about us, it seemed ridiculous that they were also asking us to fill out a paper form and send it in. They already know what we’re earning, the IRD has that. They already know how many babies are being born and how many of us are dying and how many of us getting hitched - Births, Deaths and Marriages has that. They already know how many of us are leaving the country and coming into the country, that’s collected too. They know how many one, two or three bedroom houses there are, that’s all collected already.  And yet - they were asking us to tell them that all again on the census form. Which made the exercise a giant waste of money. The last one cost $325 million and the next one was going to cost $400 million. Now I accept that there is information we will lose. Because as far as I know, no Government department collects information on how many languages you speak or what your sexuality is or what your first language is or how many people live in your house. So yes, by scrapping the census, we will end up with an incomplete set of data. But we already have an incomplete set of data because of the huge numbers of us that didn’t fill it in. In 2018, we didn’t count one in six Kiwis. That's not complete at all. So either way, we won't know anything. Except one way was going to cost us $400 million. Scrapping the census was way overdue. LISTEN ABOVE Wed, 18 Jun 2025 05:01:21 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/enda-brady-uk-correspondent-on-prime-minister-keir-starmer-working-out-a-trade-deal-with-the-us/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/enda-brady-uk-correspondent-on-prime-minister-keir-starmer-working-out-a-trade-deal-with-the-us/ Keir Starmer and Donald Trump today signed off a UK-US trade deal at the G7 summit in Canada. The two leaders then presented the deal, revealing that the UK aerospace sector will face no tariffs at all from the US, while the auto industry will have 10 percent tariffs, down from 25 percent. UK correspondent Enda Brady says this will come as good news for the UK's auto industry - and jobs will be saved as a result. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:21:15 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jamie-mackay-the-country-host-on-farmer-confidence-remaining-at-a-near-record-high/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jamie-mackay-the-country-host-on-farmer-confidence-remaining-at-a-near-record-high/ Farmer confidence remains at a near-record high, according to the latest Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey. Farmer confidence in the broader agri-economy was unchanged at a net reading of +44 percent following consecutive lifts in the previous three quarters. The Country's Jamie Mackay unpacks the survey results further. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:14:11 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/brad-olsen-infometrics-principal-economist-on-food-prices-rising-by-44-percent/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/brad-olsen-infometrics-principal-economist-on-food-prices-rising-by-44-percent/ Food prices increased 4.4 percent in the 12 months to May 2025, following a 3.7 percent increase in the 12 months to April 2025, according to figures released by Stats NZ. Higher prices for the grocery food group and the meat, poultry and fish group contributed most to the annual increase in food prices. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen unpacks the factors behind this data. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:07:21 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-do-we-need-to-rethink-heritage/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-do-we-need-to-rethink-heritage/ Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Ali Jones from Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issue of the day - and more! Minister Chris Bishop has given the green light for the demolishing of the Gordon Wilson Flats after stripping them of their heritage status. What do we make of this? Why do we think most of Gen Z aren't interested in pursuing leadership positions anymore? Do they lack ambition? Is it fair to allow employers to sack highly paid workers without the proper process? LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 08:01:03 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/david-mahon-mahon-china-investment-management-ceo-on-concerns-that-chinas-lost-trust-in-trading-with-nz/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/david-mahon-mahon-china-investment-management-ceo-on-concerns-that-chinas-lost-trust-in-trading-with-nz/ One expert has warned China has lost trust in New Zealand as a trading partner - and it could impact the current FTA. Prime Minister Chris Luxon is leading a trade delegation to China, with a meeting with China's President Xi Jinping set to take place this coming Friday. Mahon China Investment Management CEO David Mahon says Luxon's sending over a modest delegation over a short timeframe - and it's sending the wrong message to China. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:46:59 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jennifer-mills-director-and-head-of-practice-at-jennifer-mills-associates-on-the-governments-new-employment-relations-amendment-bill/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jennifer-mills-director-and-head-of-practice-at-jennifer-mills-associates-on-the-governments-new-employment-relations-amendment-bill/ The Government has unveiled new changes for Employment Relations Act aimed at improving labour market flexibility - but it's raised some concerns. One of the proposed changes includes introducing an income threshold of $180,000 above which a personal grievance for unjustified dismissal cannot be pursued. Director and Head of Practice at Jennifer Mills & Associates, Jennifer Mills, says this threshold seems 'arbitrary'. "I would have thought that all employees would have the right to access these grievance protections - what's worse is somebody who earns over $180,000 doesn't have a right to have any information about the decision to terminate their employment and they don't even have an opportunity to respond to a proposal." LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:32:18 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/full-show-podcast-17-june-2025/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/full-show-podcast-17-june-2025/ On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 17 June 2025, the Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey gets a grilling following calls for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into forensic mental health. It comes after two shocking cases of people being killed by mental health patients.   US president Donald Trump has left the G7 summit early to deal with the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, after warning 10 million residents of Tehran to evacuate their city. Channel 9 correspondent Charles Croucher tells Heather it seems that Donald Trump has lost control of the global situation. Should people who earn over $180,000 be able to get sacked more easily? Heather thinks not! Plus, the Huddle debates about heritage rules and whether the Gordon Wilson Flats are ugly and should be demolished. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:11:46 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/opinion/perspective-with-heather-du-plessis-allan-i-dont-agree-with-acts-new-employment-bill/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/opinion/perspective-with-heather-du-plessis-allan-i-dont-agree-with-acts-new-employment-bill/ I'll tell you what I'm gonna be watching with some interest in the next few weeks -  that employment bill that ACT has just introduced to Parliament that would make it a lot easier for employers to fire staff who earn more than $180,000 because those high earning staff would not be able to take personal grievance cases for justified dismissal. Now, I say high earning with air quotes, because while yes, these people do earn a lot more than the average wage, I don't think that they earn so much that they can be considered, I don't know, rich pricks and treated so callously as to simply fire them without them having any recourse. Many of these people, I think, will probably be raising families - because you don't earn $180,000 plus if you're in your early 20s, do you? These are people who are in management, maybe even in upper management, and I'd imagine that they've got families to feed and families to look after, so I imagine these people would be amongst the most stressed if they could just lose their jobs all of a sudden. I think ACT is taking something of a political gamble here, because I would have thought that this is a case of ACT screwing over some of its own voters. Because remember, ACT does well in well-heeled places like Epsom, which is where people earning more than $180,000 a year live. Now, I'm not sure what's made ACT feel like they have to do this, because it's not as if there has been this huge public debate about how people on $180,000 plus have been terrible employees who need to have their employment rights stripped. And if anything, this is just going to provide work for lawyers because people on this kind of money will have the means, and if they have families to feed, the motivation as well, to litigate, and I suspect that they will. So I'm very keen to see if ACT actually goes through with this part of its plan, because from where I'm sitting, this just looks like a really weird idea with more downsides than upsides. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 07:11:02 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/rohan-oneill-stevens-nelson-deputy-mayor-responds-to-new-study-about-gen-z-and-leadership/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/rohan-oneill-stevens-nelson-deputy-mayor-responds-to-new-study-about-gen-z-and-leadership/ New research indicates most of Gen Z aren't aiming for leadership roles in their future careers. An annual Deloitte survey says only six percent of Gen Z respondents stated they had leadership aspirations.  Nelson's deputy mayor Rohan O'Neill Stevens is within the Gen Z age range - and he says this survey shows this group has different goals to their predecessors. "When you look at the top scoring results there, it's things like maintaining a good work-life balance and achieving financial independence - which doesn't necessarily exclude leadership as a part of that."  LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 06:59:45 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jason-walls-newstalk-zb-political-editor-on-deborah-russells-unparliamentary-comment/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jason-walls-newstalk-zb-political-editor-on-deborah-russells-unparliamentary-comment/ Minister Deborah Russell raised a few eyebrows after dropping the f-bomb in the House. ACT's David Seymour has been quick to criticise this - and it's sparked further discussion. 九一星空无限talk ZB political editor Jason Walls wonders if this is an attempt to grab attention - in line with similar scandals. LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 06:22:00 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/matt-doocey-mental-health-minister-on-the-growing-calls-for-royal-commission-of-inquiry-into-mental-health-care-after-repeat-killings/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/matt-doocey-mental-health-minister-on-the-growing-calls-for-royal-commission-of-inquiry-into-mental-health-care-after-repeat-killings/ A Royal Commission of Inquiry into mental health care is looking unlikely - despite pressure over repeat killings by two patients. Hillmorton Hospital resident, Elliot Cameron, murdered his 83-year-old Christchurch gardening client in October, with new revelations he killed his brother 50 years ago. This year, another man was found not guilty on insanity grounds - for killing a second time.  Minister Matt Doocey says questions are being asked on clinical decisions.  Doocey says he expects the external reviews and coronial inquests to be answering these questions, as that's why they take place.  LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 06:04:39 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/charles-croucher-channel-9-chief-political-editor-on-donald-trump-leaving-the-g7-summit-early/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/charles-croucher-channel-9-chief-political-editor-on-donald-trump-leaving-the-g7-summit-early/ There's concerns the Israel and Iran conflict is about to escalate, as Donald Trump leaves the G7 summit early. The US President's cut his time in Canada short - not long after telling people to evacuate Iran's capital, Tehran. Channel 9 chief political editor, Charles Croucher, says the whole world is watching. "It seems, from what's coming out of America that the US aren't directly involved in whatever happens next, but it's clear that they've been told - or at least it appears they've been told - that something is about to happen." LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 05:47:57 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/haehaetu-barrett-lifewise-chief-executive-disagrees-with-government-claims-about-homelessness-stats-in-new-zealand/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/haehaetu-barrett-lifewise-chief-executive-disagrees-with-government-claims-about-homelessness-stats-in-new-zealand/ A housing advocate says New Zealand's homelessness is the worst she's seen in 20 years.  The Government's celebrating one-year of its Priority One policy - which moves families out of motel rooms into secure housing.  Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka doesn't believe any increase in rough sleeping is due to Government policy.  Lifewise chief executive Haehaetu Barrett says she disagrees.  "We didn't have appropriate pipelining happening for people coming out of the motels who had been stuck there for more than two years - and a lot of the habits we've been seeing on the streets today actually started in the motels." LISTEN ABOVE Tue, 17 Jun 2025 05:00:28 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/gavin-grey-uk-correspondent-on-the-protests-against-over-tourism-taking-place-across-europe/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/gavin-grey-uk-correspondent-on-the-protests-against-over-tourism-taking-place-across-europe/ Large protests are held in Spain, Italy and Portugal calling for a curb on mass tourism - with Barcelona organisers telling demonstrators to bring water pistols to shoot at holidaymakers.  Campaigners say excessive levels of tourism are forcing locals out of affordable housing, raising the cost of living and making the city centres 'unusable'. UK correspondent Gavin Grey unpacked the protests further. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 16 Jun 2025 08:17:25 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/shane-solly-harbour-asset-management-spokesperson-on-the-market-reactions-to-the-iran-israel-conflict/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/shane-solly-harbour-asset-management-spokesperson-on-the-market-reactions-to-the-iran-israel-conflict/ Israel and Iran have been engaged in air strikes for several days now - and experts have wondered what the conflict could mean for the wider world. It's day three of the latest conflict, as the two countries exchange deadly attacks following Israel's initial assault on Friday.  Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly unpacked the market reactions. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 16 Jun 2025 08:02:03 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-is-this-government-just-labour-in-a-blue-jacket/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/the-huddle-is-this-government-just-labour-in-a-blue-jacket/ Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and former Labour minister Stuart Nash joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!   Heather's disappointed that the Government hasn't followed on after all their talk on reform. They've only gotten rid of 2000 public servants so far - what do we make of all this? Chris Luxon copped some backlash after he started talking about potentially cutting sick leave entitlements from 10 back to 5 days - then had to clarify that that's actually not on the Government's agenda. Was this mishandled?  Woolworths has launched tearless onions. Would you buy them? LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 16 Jun 2025 07:57:00 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jaqui-maguire-clinical-psychologist-on-ai-potentially-being-used-to-fill-mental-health-backlog/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/jaqui-maguire-clinical-psychologist-on-ai-potentially-being-used-to-fill-mental-health-backlog/ Amid an ongoing shortage in professional therapists, Kiwis are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence for help with their mental health issues. Minister Matt Doocey has claimed up to 20 percent of New Zealand's unmet mental health needs could be solved using chatbot services like ChatGPT. Clinical psychologist Jaqui Maguire says the technology is helpful in some cases - but it's unlikely it can completely fill the gap. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 16 Jun 2025 07:44:24 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/opinion/perspective-with-heather-du-plessis-allan-this-governments-all-talk-bugger-all-action/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/opinion/perspective-with-heather-du-plessis-allan-this-governments-all-talk-bugger-all-action/ This morning, the Prime Minister was asked about the 2000 public servants that had lost their jobs. 2000 are out but 64,000 remain. Chris Luxon saw nothing wrong with that.   That right there is part of the reason why this Government is polling so poorly, because it's all talk, isn't it, bugger all action. Now I'm sorry. I realize this is a lot to start the week with - we're starting strident. I don't mean to continue like that - but were you as surprised as I was to hear that we've only cut 2000 public servants? And were you even more surprised that the Prime Minister's explanation is no more than a verbal shrug? This, I think, will be profoundly disappointing to a lot of people who expected this Government to get public spending under control. And cutting public servants is part of getting that spending under control. There is no reason why we have as many public servants as we have today. 63,000 - there is no reason why we have more than double the 30,000 public servants that we had in 2001. Our population hasn't doubled since 2001. It's gone up about 37 percent. If you adjust accordingly, then we should have 41,000 public servants, not 63,000 public servants. Now, I would have expected that the Prime Minister would have a better explanation than simply saying - at least it's not as bad as Labour. Well, maybe so, but I hoped for better. I hoped for a Government that was gonna actually turn this around. Certainly more than a Government that just feels like it's actually Labour dressed in blue clothing. And isn't this just the latest example of talk from this Government that is not being matched by action? They promised to cut spending every year, and they spend more than Grant Robertson. They promise to get on top of debt every year, and they add more to the debt. They promise to stop the race-based policies - and we just keep finding them. They keep waving them through unless we bust them at it. I think this, in part, answers the question that we were asking last week, which is why is it that 3 polls in a row were so tight that it wasn't actually clear if this Government would win an election if an election was held today. This is why they're not brave enough. They should be braver. In fact, if they were braver, they might be more popular. It's worth remembering that for all the hard decisions that were taken by the 4th Labour Government, which is definitely the most transformational that we can think of, right? For all those tough decisions taken in the first 3 years, they actually came back with a bigger majority in 1987. So maybe, you get rewarded for doing what you say you'll do, tough as it may be, rather than just talking tough and then doing very little. LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 16 Jun 2025 07:25:11 Z /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/nicola-willis-finance-minister-reveals-whether-she-followed-up-with-neil-quigley/ /on-air/heather-du-plessis-allan-drive/audio/nicola-willis-finance-minister-reveals-whether-she-followed-up-with-neil-quigley/ The Finance Minister made it clear she was unimpressed with the way the RBNZ handled public communication around Adrian Orr’s departure. Reserve Bank board chair Neil Quigley recently revealed he 'regretted' the time it took to release information around Orr's surprise resignation. Nicola Willis says the central bank could have provided some clarifying statements more promptly than they did. "As soon as they'd worked through what they could say with the former governor, there was obviously significant public interest in that information. And it would have been in everybody's best interests for them to share that at an earlier junction."  LISTEN ABOVE Mon, 16 Jun 2025 07:15:58 Z