Larry Williams Drive

Google Maps is renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America - as ordered by Donald Trump within hours of becoming President last week. It'll appear once the name's officially updated in the US Geographic Names system. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says the name will appear differently, depending on where a person is. "In the US, we're going to see it as what President Trump wants to call it - the Gulf of America. Around the rest of the world, you're going to see it as the name used by the country where you're accessing the maps." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NRL bosses will put their Australian broadcast rights up for grabs this year in a move that could spark interest from foreign streaming services. The sport's current deal with Fox Sports and Channel Nine across the ditch ends after the 2026 season. Reports from the Daily Telegraph claim the likes of Netflix and Prime Video could be interested. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a fiery start to 2025, with at least nine Auckland rubbish trucks bursting into flames in the first two weeks of the year. Auckland Council says it's likely due to ever-increasing numbers of batteries and battery-powered devices being dumped in bins. The Auckland recycling facility that sorts the region’s kerbside recycling, has two small fires a week - usually sparked by lithium-ion batteries. General Manager of Waste Solutions Justine Haves says there's been a significant uptake in lithium-ion batteries in the waste stream - and this is likely the cause of these fires. "We can't attribute them to the fires directly, but what we do know is that they're highly explosive material and there's many more of them in our waste stream than ever before." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A pair of protestors from Just Stop Oil disrupted a performance of The Tempest, starring Sigourney Weaver on London's West End. The duo got up on stage as Weaver was performing - and unfurled a banner and delivered a speech before they were bundled off by authorities.  Weaver was also escorted off stage by a member of the theatre's staff. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the activists were met with booing - and also a few cheers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New data shows more people are concerned about work, housing, and health, according to research by NZCTU. The council's annual Mood of the Workforce survey polled over 1900 people - and many of these respondents have voiced concern with the direction the Government has taken the country. NZCTU President Richard Wagstaff says there's been a significant shift in the last 12 months - as people believe the Government isn't looking out for the interests of workers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's speculation the Government may be looking to sell off Landcorp as the asset continues to underperform. Long-standing agricultural consultant Will Wilson has noted it's worth $1.6 billion - which is significantly less than it was a year ago. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's hopeful that digital nomads will help grow New Zealand's economy off the back of their recent visa change. Finance Minister Nicola Willis hasn't confirmed how many the nation can realistically expect to arrive - but she's got faith in this strategy. Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen unpacks the current hotspots for digital nomads - and reveals what New Zealand can do to get ahead. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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!  The Prime Minister is pushing hard for asset sales - and he aims to seek a mandate for them in the next election. Do we think this is a good idea? New Zealand's diplomatic relations with Kiribati are on the rocks - and aid money has been put on pause. Given how close the region is with China, is it wise for Winston Peters to play hardball like this? Arnotts has convinced Woolworths supermarkets in Australia to move the Tim Tams to the fridge section. What to we make of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, Labour leader Chris Hipkins fires back at National's plan for asset sales after the next election.   Ryan Bridge grills activist John Minto about his hotline to dob in Israeli soldiers on holiday which has been slammed as antisemitic. Consumer NZ says it's been fielding heaps of complaints from Sky TV customers over its ageing satellite. Plus, the Huddle debates the diplomatic stoush that's developed between New Zealand and Kiribati. How risky is Winston Peters' threat to withhold aid funding? 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.

The Palestinian Solidarity Network Aotearoa's launched what it calls a 'genocide hotline' - asking people to report sightings of Israeli Defence Force soldiers holidaying in New Zealand. It's part of their campaign against the war on Gaza, and it says the focus is not Israeli or Jewish people - but IDF soldiers.  National chair, John Minto, says now is a window of opportunity to pressure Israel more to continue with the ceasefire.  "There's been industrial-scale killing of Palestinians in Gaza - no one involved in that army should be allowed into New Zealand."  The post has prompted more than 100 complaints to the Human Rights Commission. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US stocks took a sharp drop - and experts are feeling wary - after a Chinese artificial intelligence startup posed a threat to America's technology industry. DeepSeek unveiled a new ChatGPT-like AI model called R1 that operated at a fraction of the cost of OpenAI’s, Google’s or Meta’s models, causing the Nasdaq to plunge by 3.1 percent.  US markets analyst Scott Shellady says the $5.6 million computing power cost will be concerning for investors, when compared to the hundreds of millions or billions US companies spent. "The idea that there was any competition would have probably surprised people, which it did." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A National MP wants to raise the age for mandatory jury duty.  Under current legislation, the court registrar must excuse anyone over the age of 65 who's been summoned for jury service if they request it. Whanganui MP Carl Bates has had his Member's Bill drawn today - proposing to raise automatic excusal from jury duty from 65 to 72. He says this would update a very old law.  "There's been a big shift in societal expectations and the way we work - and I trust our seniors to be able to fulfil jury duty." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government and Opposition have butted heads on the first day in Parliament. The Prime Minister boasted of the Government plans to boost economic growth - while Labour slammed its achievements and pointed to record departures from the country. Chris Luxon is calling it 'the party of no' - which said no to tax relief, gene technology, and backing farmers. Later, opposition leader Chris Hipkins claimed Luxon was in favour of saying no to delivering new ferries, a new Dunedin hospital, and affordable water reform. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says Chris Luxon fired back at Hipkins' outfit choices and lack of organisation. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour says it's nonsense to suggest the private sector does things better - after National has said it will campaign on asset sales next election. ACT has proposed health and education as starting points.  But Labour leader Chris Hipkins says we only need to look at electricity companies gouging New Zealand consumers for profit.  He says the companies stopped investing in new generation since becoming private.  "Every New Zealand household's paying higher power prices - when the National Party said that if we privatise them, power prices will come down." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the Australian election, opposition leader Peter Dutton has confirmed some political shakeups - and named David Coleman for the key shadow foreign affairs portfolio. The foreign affairs job was previously held by  Simon Birmingham, and a high number of frontbenchers were looking to claim the position for themselves. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Dutton is looking to make more key changes if he wins the election. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was an emotional scene at Karaka yesterday after the regally-bred full-sister to glamour mare Orchestral was sold for $2.4 million. After Orchestral was sold on Saturday, there was plenty of interest in her Savabeel full-sister (Lot 345), who was being offered through Haunui Farm’s draft at Karaka. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More and more Kiwi households have noticed an increase in broadcasting issues and disruptions - and the provider has offered up an explanation. In a recent update for investors, Sky confirmed it had accelerated plans to move from its current Optus D2 satellite to a new satellite after Optus revealed it would die earlier than previously thought. Consumer NZ CEO Jon Duffy says they've seen a significant number of customer complaints as a result of these disruptions. "What we're seeing causing frustration is - people are contacting Sky, they either can't get through or they can't get a reasonable answer to their questions, and that is just doubling down on the pain that they're feeling." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the UK moves to clean up the damage resulting from Storm Éowyn, a second major storm is set to hit the region. The Met Office is warning Storm Herminia, which first hit parts of Spain and France, is set to bring destruction and the possibility of injuries and 'danger to life'. UK correspondent Gail Downey says there are warnings in place to stay away from the coast. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's set to be a big week for the US' biggest tech companies. Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Tesla are all expected to report their results in the coming days - and it's likely these businesses will be expecting a boost from the new presidential administration.  Mark Lister from Craigs Investment Partners explains what we can expect. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Following the closure of the Tangiwai Mill in the Ruapehu District, forestry company Ernslaw One has found a new way to continue production and keep contractors in work. They've struck a deal with KiwiRail and Napier Port where log trains now run five days a week on the Napier-Palmerston North line, dropping off 600 tonnes of logs to Napier Port. It removes 21 logging trucks off the road. Napier Port CEO Todd Dawson and KiwiRail Executive Manager of Freight Markets Alan Piper unpacked the benefits of this deal.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.