Larry Williams Drive

Former Labour leader Andrew Little's feeling confident about his odds as he announces a bid to run for mayor of Wellington. He made the announcement this morning - and explained that the capital's in a fragile place and needs strong leadership. Little says he's spoken to people and found that the council has become 'directionless'. "I've just had so many people from across the spectrum and from so many different sort of backgrounds approaching me...I thought I had to think about this again - and I thought I do have a set of skills that can help." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister has unveiled a major reduction to the Central Bank's planned spending. The Government and the Reserve Bank have agreed to reduce operating expenses by a quarter in the coming year. They've signed a five-year funding agreement, allowing $750 million of operating expenses, well below the $1 billion the Bank was asking for. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacks the announcement further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US president is in no rush to reverse the wrongful deportation of a man to Central America. Donald Trump has been meeting with the president of El Salvador at the White House. Despite a unanimous Supreme Court ruling that the US must allow for Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return, both leaders are batting away calls. Abrego Garcia entered the US illegally in 2011, but in 2019 an immigration judge withheld his removal due to threats in his home country. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says Donald Trump has expressed interest in deporting US citizens who are considered violent criminals to El Salvador - which has sparked further concerns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new weight division to conquer for boxer Mea Motu as she eyes a return to the ring later this year. The former super bantamweight world champion will move up two weight classes, having lost her IBO title in January against IBF and WBO belt holder Ellie Scotney.  Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert has warned Aucklanders should be prepared for the chance of a volcanic eruption. Civil Defence estimates there's a 10 percent risk it could happen in the next 50 years.  It could cost $65 billion in building damage alone.  Victoria University's Dr Finn Illsley Kemp says we'd get a decent warning before an eruption - but every aspect will be expensive, including evacuating the city. "We do think we'll get a warning when it is on the way, because this magma has to come from quite deep - we should be able to see it when it's on its' way, but when it's on the move, it doesn't hang around." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I am of the view that it is time for authorities to start cracking down really hard on bad dog owners.  When I was on maternity leave, apart from trying to ignore Donald Trump, I was trying very hard not to read too much news because I was just trying to get away from work a little bit.  But there was one story that I saw pop up on the Herald that I actually had to click on. That was the news report about that Katikati dog attack a few weeks ago. That was where the three dogs killed the four year old boy, and all three of those dogs were unregistered.  I clicked on that news report because, frankly, dog maulings freak me out at the moment in a way that they never have because it's too close to home. I'm constantly trying to keep my 3 year old boy away from dogs that look like they're grumpy, including just yesterday at our local park because they're everywhere now.  I've certainly noticed because I've started to see a pattern here that we've had a spate of more maulings in the last couple

A lengthy strike carried out by bin workers that has left rubbish piling up on Birmingham's streets will continue after union members rejected the latest offer from the council.  The strike action, which began in early March, has resulted in thousands of tonnes of rubbish going uncollected. UK correspondent Enda Brady has expressed concerns about a potential health emergency. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, the RBA says its upcoming May meeting would be an 'opportune time' to reconsider the OCR. Experts believe that the global uncertainty over U.S. tariffs could have significant impact on markets all over the world. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham says a lot has changed within the economy - and inflation has dropped down. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All eyes will be on tonight's Global Dairy Trade Auction to see if the tariffs will leave an impact on dairy prices. It's been two weeks since President Donald Trump imposed a set of tariffs impacting multiple countries - and financial markets have been sent into turmoil. The Country's Rowena Duncum explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Reserve Bank economist Paul Conway believes there's one upside to the tariff turmoil for Kiwis. Conway suspects the tariffs will likely lead to lower inflation in New Zealand, which will also lead to lower interest rates. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen unpacked the announcement - and explained the ins and outs of the Reserve Bank's new Kiwi-GDP tool. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 15 April 2025,  Police Minister Mark Mitchell tells Heather how the Government's managed to hit its target to reduce the number of violent crime victims four years early. Should a Minister really have to tell the health department to use the term "pregnant women" rather than "pregnant person"? A crackdown is coming for bad dog owners who chain up their dogs for too long - but Heather thinks the Government needs to go much further and crack down on dangerous dogs. Plus, on the Huddle, Stuart Nash's biggest clue yet that he might be looking to become a NZ First candidate. 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.

Tonight on The Huddle, former Labour Minister Stuart Nash and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Associate Health Minister Casey Costello has directed Health NZ to refer to pregnant women rather than pregnant people. Do we agree with this move? The Government is set to introduce tougher fines for people who chain up their dogs for long periods of time, but is the problem not wider than that?  Just over half of employees think their chances for a promotion are better if they work in the office. Is this not obvious? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert is warning people to do their research ahead of a significant change set to impact older devices. One NZ, Spark and 2degrees are all due to shut down their 3G mobile networks by late 2025 - early 2026 at the latest. Associate Professor of Engineering at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Mark Gregory says Australia did the same thing at the end of last year - and it sparked mass confusion. "In quite a few areas, customers lost coverage. So we had pictures of farmers standing in the middle of their farm where they used to have coverage...they've got 3G devices including farming sensors, farm equipment and their own devices." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Casey Costello believes slashing inclusive language will help the health system connect with women. The Associate Health Minister is directing Health NZ to refer to pregnant people as women, and to not use gender-diverse terms. Costello says we need to recognise women have significant health issues. "So we need to be clear - we are targeting women and we want women to reach out and connect as much as possible with health services." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Working from the office could set people up better for a promotion than working from home.  Recruitment agency Robert Half says 58 percent of workers believe opportunities to advance correlate with office attendance.  It says 54 percent would turn up more if it was needed to get promoted. Managing director Megan Alexander says there is a mentality of out of sight, out of mind.  She explained that relationship building is critical to climbing the career ladder - which is difficult when you're sitting at home not talking to anybody.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister is rejecting claims the last Government can be thanked for reduced victim numbers. The Government claims there are 28,000 fewer victims of violent crimes since the last election - exceeding its goal of 20,000. It admits the numbers are from a survey spanning 24 months - including the last months of the Labour's rule.  But Minister Mark Mitchell says Labour only made it worse. "We've definitely seen the numbers - and the police numbers starting to reduce. We've got a very different approach around public safety, we're putting victims first and I think we're staring to see the results of that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior doctors will be walking off the job in May, looking for a 12 percent pay rise.  The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists announced a 24-hour strike would take place starting on May 1. It could affect 4300 planned procedures or first specialist appointments - and up to 4300 radiology appointments.  Association executive director Sarah Dalton says claims specialists make more than $300,000 dollars a year are wrong.  "It's probably closer to $240,000 - which still sounds like a lot, right? But we have to think about what senior doctors actually do." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister says the patch ban for gangs has changed their behaviour, and made people feel safer.  Gang laws are among policies the Government's crediting for surpassing its target for reducing violent crime victims - although it admits the data is volatile.  NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says the Government will still need to prove if they can keep meeting these targets long-term. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A response from the Australian Prime Minister after being dissed in a rap song by the Liberal party. The track released by Peter Dutton's Liberal party takes aim at Anthony Albanese's leadership - claiming he's ruined the economy and risen the cost-of-living. The voice behind the song is an un-named 'commercial artist'. Australian correspondent Murray Olds has been quick to label this move as 'nonsense'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Rugby remain happy with their player retention rates, despite All Blacks wing Mark Tele'a's decision to head to Japan after this season. The 28-year-old started four of five tests on the 2024 end-of-year tour. He's understood to have penned a three-season deal with Toyota Verblitz under former All Blacks coaches Sir Steve Hansen and Ian Foster. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.