Larry Williams Drive

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 17 April 2025, the cost of living is on the rise again so will the OCR keep falling? KiwiRail apologises for misleading customers about compensation. A lawyer explains the implications of the UK's Supreme Court ruling on what defines a woman. Auckland FC co-owner Ali Williams in studio with Heather to talk about his proposed new stadium for Auckland ... and his helipad application. Plus, the Huddle gets fiery when Heather asked if senior doctors deserve a payrise. 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.

Genesis Energy has confirmed it plans to shift its focus over to coal, as gas production declines and no other suitable sources have been found. Genesis has made clear it sees a declining role for gas in electricity generation - despite the Government's attempts to get offshore oil and gas exploration going properly.  Energy Resources Aotearoa CEO John Carnegie isn't surprised by this - given the associated challenges.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK Supreme Court has ruled that the term woman should be based on biological sex.  The judges ruled that the 2010 Equality Act's sex based protections only apply to biological women.  The decision has been hotly contested after the Scottish Government argued that transgender people with a gender recognition certificate were entitled to them.  Liam Hehir, partner at Freebairn and Hehir Lawyers, says it's a significant ruling for the purposes of the Equality Act - but it has its' boundaries.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've got a lot of time for Simeon Brown - he's a very good politician, but I reckon he might want to take the advice of Chris Hipkins - a man who was also once the Health Minister - and just tone down the fighting talk. Because accusing the striking senior doctors of the worst kind of politics is not going to help anyone. The only thing that is going to help right now is money - and he is simply going to have to pony up the cash and pay those doctors a lot more. Look, I know, there will not be a lot of public sympathy for doctors who are on that kind of money - whether it's $350,000 like Simeon claims or only $250,000 like the doctors claim - it doesn't matter whether we think they're paid not enough or too much What matters is what the rest of the world pays, because that’s who we are competing against for senior doctors.  NSW, I've been told, is the part of Australia that pays senior doctors the least, and their starting pay is more than what our senior doctors get on the highest level here.

The Greens are reiterating the importance of combating climate change, concerned Kiwi buy-in appears to be fading. An Ipsos report shows the proportion of New Zealanders concerned about the impact of climate change in Aotearoa has fallen from 80 percent two years ago - to 69 percent. Greens Environment spokesperson Lan Pham says ignoring the climate crisis, will not make the problem go away. "We know communities are really struggling at the moment - and it's hard for people to think of the future when they're actually having to focus on surviving the cost of living crisis." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US tariffs are expected to impact our next inflation figures, according to new reports. The rate increased in the three months to March to 2.5 percent - up from 2.2 percent to December. Petrol, milk, cheese, eggs have all gone up, alongside a dip in prices for international flights and games. Infometrics Chief Forecaster Gareth Kiernan says the new tariffs could push inflation down because of weaker demand. "And we know there will be some cost pressures that do rise because of the changing trade situation. So it's mixed, but the sentiment is pushing towards maybe a little less inflation." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interislander's operator is promising to cough up for ferry disruptions. A Commerce Commission investigation found KiwiRail may have breached the law by suggesting cancelled sailings were out of their control. Mechanical events leading to cancellations will now almost always trigger compensation. Chief customer officer Adele Wilson says people incurred some high costs from cancellations.  "As we were trying to catch up the schedule, we had another event - and so people who'd been rebooked, unfortunately some of them were delayed again." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour has clarified it does not support Te Pāti Māori’s policy for Māori to receive New Zealand Superannuation seven to 10 years before everyone else. Labour’s finance spokesperson Barbara Edmonds declined the opportunity to shoot down the idea when first asked to share her view - but the party has since confirmed their stance. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says Labour's initial hesitancy in clarifying their stance here doesn't paint a good picture of the party's future. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's AUKUS deal is facing additional pressures as the US is calling for an increase in defence spending. The US and the United Kingdom have both launched reviews into the multi-billion-dollar submarine deal amid production and tariff-based concerns.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says costs have already blown out to over $400 billion and counting. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The departing head coach of the Wellington Phoenix women's footballers concedes he's unsure what's next. Paul Temple has not been offered a contract renewal and will wind up with his side's final game of the season against Western United on Sunday. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New images have given Aucklanders a closer look at the Western Springs Stadium proposal backed by Auckland FC and their billionaire owners. The images and a new video feature in a campaign to generate public support for the stadium, which has been called Auckland Arena. The website said there would be zero cost to the ratepayer with $300 million in private funding secured already to deliver the project. Auckland FC co-owner Ali Williams says Aucklanders deserve a smaller, intimate 'family-friendly' stadium - and this presents the perfect opportunity.  "You've got to remember that the sport is not just about the product on the field, it's about the vibe outside the field, around the field, it's about families feeling comfortable, it's about people being passionate and bringing communities together."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New digital border checks expected to hit millions of people travelling to and from Europe are set to come into effect this October. The new Entry/Exit System will replace current passport stamping, requiring visitors from outside the EU to register fingerprints, a photo, and passport details to enter the region. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this is expected to be a 'complicated' process set to lead to delays. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour is staying tight-lipped, as Te Pāti Māori says Māori should receive New Zealand Superannuation seven to 10 years before everyone else. Meanwhile, the Green Party supports lowering the age of eligibility for Super for some groups in society. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny says this has prompted a divided response. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Wellington Water has copped backlash over spending significant amounts on wellness-based perks for their employees. What do we make of this?  Former Labour leader Andrew Little has announced his intention to run for mayor of Wellington. Is this a good move? Will he get votes?  The Maori Party wants Maori to get NZ Super 7-10 years before everyone else and Labour is refusing to say whether it would agree. The Greens are on board with giving some parts of society Super earlier. Is this the best look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Trump administration has hinted it could be looking into imposing tariffs on pharmaceuticals imported into the country. Pharmac has since claimed the impact of these tariffs is 'unclear' - as it's unknown how it would affect the price of medicines at this stage. Medicines NZ chief executive Dr Graeme Jarvis says it's too early to tell, and he doesn't want anyone to react too rashly. "Around 20 percent of pharmaceutical manufacture is done in the US, the rest of it they import from global supply chains around the world at the moment." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 16 April 2025, Wellington's worst kept secret is out of the bag: former Labour leader Andrew Little is running for mayor. He tells Heather what he'd do with the much-debated Golden Mile.   Finance Minister Nicola Willis gets a grilling over the Reserve Bank's funding - is the bank getting a budget cut or actually a boost? Why Heather doesn't think cracking down on junk food advertising will do anything to help with kids eating junk food. Plus, the Huddle debates the Māori Party's call that Māori should get the NZ Super 10 years early. 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.

ANZ is speculating interest rates will drop lower than previously expected - as the economy is predicted to need extra help to recover. The bank believes the OCR will bottom out at 2.5 percent, down from the 3 percent low that was previously predicted. ANZ chief economist Sharon Zollner says it's likely the Reserve Bank will give the economy an additional 'push in the back' to help boost a recovery. "It's too soon to make any concrete judgements on what might happen to our commodity prices or anything like that - but it does seem pretty likely that some pretty full-on uncertainty is going to persist for quite a long time."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington Water's boss is defending spending ratepayer money on skincare for staff and mindfulness workshops. The under-fire agency has confirmed it spent more than $10,000 on wellbeing workshops in the recent financial year - including nutritionists and skin checks. Chief Executive Pat Dougherty says it's important to be a caring employer. "Good staff are hard to find - you'll want to attract them and keep them." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is confident in the operational funding she's giving the Reserve Bank.  Nicola Willis has signed the bank up to a new five-year agreement - 25 percent under the billion dollars sought by the central bank. Willis says she's peeled back the $200 million a year the Reserve Bank had budgeted for - to $150 million. "Not just - are we taking it back to that figure? But we're saying, we want you to stop this pattern of the number escalating every year. We want that to hold steady." Willis says the 750-million dollar budget gives the Bank enough to carry out its statutory functions well.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Researchers say junk food advertising needs tighter controls.  A paper has found children aged 2 to 17 see twice as many ads for unhealthy food than healthier options.  The authors want limits on online ads for unhealthy food - and a ban on using cartoon characters in packaging.  Co-author Lisa Te Morenga says such advertising intensifies the desire children already feel for junk food - and the constant barrage of ads makes children want it more. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.