Larry Williams Drive

Tonight on The Huddle, Q&A and ZB Saturday Mornings host Jack Tame and Kiwiblog writer and Curia pollster David Farrar joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Port of Auckland CEO Roger Gray has slammed new Zealand's culture of saying no - and that it's off-putting to prospective investors. Does he have a point here? Mayors and regional councillors have had mixed reactions to the Government's decision to reform local Government. What do we think of all this?  New reports show car crashes have come down thanks to new technological developments. How much do we rely on this tech while driving? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government says offshore carbon credits could be bought in the future - but not yet. Climate Minister Simon Watts says all options are being considered, but they've ruled out shopping overseas this term. But for New Zealand to meet Paris Agreement targets signed up to in 2016, it may be necessary - and work is under way so it's an option down the line. Watts says he is focusing on domestic actions. "The reality is, I actually think - and I'm pretty optimistic - we're looking pretty good in terms of our emissions reduction." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Port of Auckland's CEO says a 'no' culture has permeated New Zealand.  Roger Gray says a cruise ship representative he spoke to in the US labelled our country 'No Zealand'. Gray says they claimed excessive regulation made things too difficult for them. He says he doesn't think it's the case in Australia. "I think Australians are a bit more optimistic and go - yeah, let's have a crack. We're a bit more sit back and a bit more conservative."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New advancements in technology are reportedly behind a significant decrease in car crashes. Collisions have dropped 7 percent each year over the last two years, according to the latest AMI motor report. AA Principal Policy Advisor Terry Collins says adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking are among the recent developments that have made all the difference. "We know that accidents occur when people try to do their best and some things happen through inattention. What they do is they give you that physical warning - or they apply the breaks when something happens unexpectedly." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At least one Wellington mayor says it's time district councils combined into one. The Government's proposing replacing regional councillors with boards of district mayors.  They'll have two years from establishment, to put up a regional plan for future local Governments. Porirua mayor Anita Baker says the Wellington region should grab this opportunity.  She explained Hutt City and Porirua residents have already said yes to amalgamation, and Wellington city mayor Andrew Little doesn't seem opposed either.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank's outgoing Governor says New Zealand's economy may be doing better than we realise. The central bank has cut the OCR 25 basis points today - to 2.25 percent. Christian Hawkesby says the economy already appears to be recovering from this year's downturn. He says what's unclear - is its pace. "The recovery could be faster and stronger than we expect, because we have cut interest rates a long way and it could really start coming through quite quickly." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government recently unveiled their plans to make changes to local Government, and it's prompted additional speculation. It's proposing replacing the country's 11 regional councils with boards made up of local mayors. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan speculated about some further changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ukraine officials say they've agreed to the 'essence' of a peace deal with Russia, but some sensitive issues are still to resolve. US President Donald Trump says a deal is close and US and Russian officials have been meeting separately in Abu Dhabi on discussions. Reports indicate it's now expected Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet within the next week. US correspondent Jonathan Kearsley says the final deal will come down to whether or not Russia accepts the proposed changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Black Caps cricketers have been grouped with Afghanistan, South Africa, Canada and the UAE for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. The marquee pool fixture will see India and Pakistan meet on February 15 in neutral Colombo.  Sri Lanka will also host any play-off matches involving Pakistan, due to the latter's ongoing political tension with India. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A promoter says concerts in New Zealand have a bright future, despite some high-profile cancellations.  Tauranga reggae festival One Love and Taranaki's WOMAD have called off their 2026 showings. Promoter Brent Eccles says other festivals like Electric Avenue are doing very well.  He says there are plenty of future opportunities.  "And I think you'll find that next year, with this new Government scheme that's going on, a lot will be announced." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 25 November 2025, regional councils are about to get the axe. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop explains what will replace them, and why it's hopefully going to lower your rates. Massively promising results from the new maths curriculum, as kids are finally seeing a turnaround in their dropping results. GPs are welcoming plans to digitise the health system - to allow hospitals and doctors to all have access to a patient's health history. Plus, on the Huddle, freshly minted Labour candidate Craig Renney and Tim Wilson debate the changes for regional councils and Black Friday deals. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the UK, concerns have been raised over a new kind of brain drain as migration remains a consistent issue. A total of 257,000 British nationals are now thought to have left the country last year, 180,000 more than the initial estimate of 77,000. UK correspondent Enda Brady says rich-listers are among the high-profile Britons leaving, including steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal - who voiced displeasure with proposed tax changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from the Maxim Institute and Labour candidate for Wellington Bays Craig Renney joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The Government has confirmed it plans to make major changes to regional councils, including axing regional councillors and replacing regional councils with groups of local mayors. Do we think this is a good idea?  New reports show more universities are giving out more 'A' grades and it's prompted concern from some. Are we diluting excellence?  Black Friday's coming up this week, but the deals are already in full swing. Are we getting into it? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government has announced this afternoon that it is scrapping regional councils - and I reckon you need to put this on your list of some of the best news that you have heard in a long time for turning this country around. Regional councils have got to go. It's not so much the elected councillors, right? I mean, obviously they have to go as well.  But we simply don't need that layer of bureaucracy with regional councils, when we already have city and district councils and we already have central Government. It's just far too much. But scrapping the elected guys, that's only gonna save us a little bit of money. We're talking peanuts here. The real money is going to be saved in the stuff that happens in the back office at the regional councils, the stuff that's done by the unelected officials and the consultants that they bring in. And when I'm what I'm talking about here is the plans. Now let me tell you about the plans - you probably don't realize it because this stuff is so boring it will pu

The Reserve Bank is set to deliver their final Monetary Policy Statement for 2025 tomorrow, and reports indicate the OCR will be cut further. Economists are widely expecting the OCR to drop 25 basis points to 2.25  percent - with room for further cuts down the line.  HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham speculated further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra's forewarning farmers falling global dairy prices could hit their bottom lines. The dairy co-op recently cut its seasonal farmgate milk payout midpoint forecast - from $10 to $9.50. It paid out $10.16 last season. The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Newly elected regional councillors are in for a big change, with sweeping Government reforms. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop recently unveiled plans to replace the country's 11 regional councils with boards consisting of local mayors.  He suggests this will streamline decision-making, planning and infrastructure across regions. LGNZ Regional Sector Chair Deon Swiggs says the mandate for mayors is different, so they wouldn't have expected to be on a regional board.  "There might be some mayors that go - great, yep, we want to get our hands on that regional council. There will be others who go - this is not my jam, I don't want to do that, what are you thinking?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's revelations a rise in top grades at universities may not be down to New Zealanders getting smarter. Analysis by the New Zealand Initiative reveals 'A ' grades have increased from 22 percent to 36 percent of all grades since 2006. B grades have fallen from 47 percent to 38, while C grades have dropped from 20 percent to 17. NZ Initiative research fellow Dr James Kierstead says 'A' grades are becoming the most common grade for university assignments and that shouldn't be the case. "It's not really something we want to follow the US in, because grade inflation's been a big deal in the states and it's helped undermine half a dozen universities there." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's belief from experts that efforts to launch a single electronic medical record are 'well overdue'. The Government is embarking on a 10-year Health Digital Investment Plan to improve Health New Zealand's digital infrastructure.  The single record would replace 6,000 different systems currently in use. College of GPs Medical Director Luke Bradford says it's needed.  "We've been doing fragmented, piecemeal, bespoke solutions that don't get delivered for years, so this is something that we can at least build towards." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is proposing one of the biggest reform packages around local Government in decades. Ministers are launching consultation on major proposals - including replacing regional councils with boards made up of mayors from the region's city and district councils.  It would aim to streamline decision-making, planning and infrastructure across regions - and boards would prepare a regional reorganisation plan within two years of being set up. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says it's time to re-examine local Government and make changes. "It would be the biggest shake-up since 1989, but we think, given we're going to make these changes to the way in which we do things locally anyway, now's the time to basically do it all." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.