Larry Williams Drive

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 21 November 2024, the Director-General of Health Dr Diana Sarfati speaks to Heather about new advice on the use of puberty blockers - essentially there's no evidence they're safe or effective. "Stupid b***"! Labour MP Jan Tinetti tells Heather why she decided to complain about Education Minister Erica Stanford calling her a bitch in Parliament. Westpac CEO Catherine McGrath on whether it's hypocritical to invest in fossil fuel industries while also punishing farmers for their emissions. Plus, the Huddle debates whether NZ media has gone crazy sympathising with the gangs about the new patch ban. 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.

Westpac has been accused of hypocrisy over punishing Kiwi farmers for their emissions while investing in fossil fuels. Westpac is among the major banks that introduced emissions reduction targets for farmers - including reducing the emissions intensity of the dairy farms it finances in Australia and New Zealand. However, these targets translate into Westpac Australia allowing Australian dairy farmers to continue producing more CO2-equivalent emissions per tonne of milk than New Zealand dairy farmers. Chief executive Catherine McGrath says Kiwi dairy farmers start at a better level than their Australian counterparts. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As social media advances, some parenting influencers have pulled back on posting their kids for fear of their digital footprint and other safety concerns. The founder of Happy Mum Happy Child, Maria Foy, revealed she's pivoted from her 'mumfluencer' brand and stopped posting her kids as they've gotten older and voiced concern about the consequences. Foy says kids deserve their privacy - and she doesn't feel comfortable sharing their intimate moments as teenagers.  "Now they're coming up to a point where I don't feel comfortable talking about certain things - even though as a parent, you yearn for that connection...but they deserve that privacy." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Jan Tinetti says consequences for rule-breaking in the House should apply across the aisle. Tinetti claims Education Minister Erica Stanford called her a 'stupid b....' after a fiery exchange during Question Time.  Stanford withdrew and apologised.  Last week, Labour's Willie Jackson was forced to leave the House when he wouldn't apologise for calling David Seymour a liar.  Tinetti says it's fair to also call out Stanford. "Willie got thrown out of the House by the Speaker for that. So, you know, there is a consequence to that, that's why we have the rules and that's why we have consequences."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Experts are warning the Government's policies designed to reduce the deficit and bring down inflation are worsening the impact of the recession on households and businesses. Former Productivity Commission Chair Ganesh Nana has led group of 15 economists who've written to the Prime Minister claiming spending cuts are harming the economy. Nana explained that fiscal policy should not be targeting inflation. "We want fiscal policies to do other things, which is to focus on that external debt that seems to be being ignored by many." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Director-General of Health says she expects puberty blocker prescriptions to continue to fall.  The Ministry of Health has released an evidence brief showing a lack of quality evidence backing their effectiveness and safety for gender dysphoria. It says they should be prescribed by a clinician experienced in gender-affirming care, in a team offering wide support. Dr Diana Sarfati says use was already declining.  "The peak prescription for puberty blockers was around 2021- and in the last couple of years, we're already starting to see a drop-off." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour's Jan Tinetti has accused Education Minister Erica Stanford of using derogatory language in the House.  Stanford was forced to apologise, after the Speaker was made aware of the minister using unparliamentary language. Tinetti claimed to reporters Stanford called her a stupid B-word. Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says Stanford withdrew and apologised - a clear admission of guilt. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Melbourne teen has died in Thailand after drinking a suspected methanol-laced cocktail in Laos. Bianca Jones is the fourth person to die associated with the poisoning, along with one American and two Danish tourists. Her friend is still critically ill. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says reports claim the liquor bottles may have been topped up with methanol as a cost-saving measure. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's plenty for Scott Robertson to ponder ahead of the final All Blacks team naming of the year. The New Zealand side is expected to face off against Italy this coming Sunday. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An Australian school is taking a unique approach to educating students about social media and internet safety. Pymble Ladies’ College has launched a 'Wise Phones' initiative that gives students in Years 4 to 8 age-appropriate smartphones that block social media and the internet until they reach Year 10 or 16 years of age. Principal Dr Kate Hadwen says it's important to teach kids about the technology slowly as they age - rather than banning phones outright. "It's a little bit like learning to swim - when we have our children, we don't throw them into the ocean, we teach them slowly and take them with us on the journey. And that's what I believe about the use of technology as well." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The funeral of former One Direction star Liam Payne will be held in a private ceremony in the Midlands, UK. Payne died on October 16th after falling from a hotel balcony in  Buenos Aries. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Payne's former bandmates will make an appearance - but his family have kept the details private so the fans don't gatecrash.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More and more surgical procedures around the world are being carried out by trained robots. The latest field to benefit from the use of robotic technology is orthopaedic surgery - an area with plenty of room for growth as the population ages. Milford Asset Management analyst Deborah Lambie explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A senior Reserve Bank official has taken aim at the big banks and accused them of stifling innovation and competition by underinvesting in technology. Addressing delegates at a Payments NZ conference on Tuesday, the banking regulator’s director of money and cash, Ian Woolford, claimed there was a role for better regulation to push banks to keep up with their peers overseas. But the banks have pushed back - with Westpac head Catherine McGrath saying regulations were holding the banks back. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacks the regulations impacting the banks. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Richard Chambers is set to take over as New Zealand's new Police Commissioner. Do we expect any new changes? Will we get more old-school policing under Chambers' watch. Should Auckland Transport stop fining people for parking in their own driveways? What do we make of this?  It's been revealed NZTA spent $800 million on traffic management and road cones. Do we need to rein this spending in? New research says young people are drinking less - is this good news or cause for concern? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ADHD diagnoses and prescriptions have surged around the world - but there's concern from experts that we might be overdoing it. In New Zealand, prescriptions for the relevant medication have increased tenfold since 2006 and Pharmac has reported a 140 percent rise in demand for these medications. General Practice NZ chair Dr Bryan Betty says it's a complex diagnosis - and there are several conditions that can mimic ADHD symptoms. "ADHD is very complex, there's a list of diagnostic criteria. It's really really important that assessments give a proper diagnosis, because the treatment can be life-changing - and it's really important to understand that. However, it can mimic a whole lot of other things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 20 November 2024, the new Police Commissioner Richard Chambers tells Heather he will bring a different style to police leadership than his predecessor. Transport Minister Simeon Brown reveals the Transport Agency has spent almost $800 million on road cones and traffic management over the past three years. Heather reckons we need to be careful when celebrating the drop of alcohol consumption among young people. Plus the Huddle debates Auckland Transport's decision to fine people $70 for parking in their driveway. 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.

There's more power pain to come next year - as Kiwi households can expect a slight increase to their bills come April. The Commerce Commission has warned the average power bill will go up by $10, and there's room for additional increases to come. Commissioner Vhari McWha says additional funding is needed to create a safe and reliable power network. "For Transpower in particular, some of their assets are quite old and they need to be replaced - and some of them are less old and they'll be maintaining those." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand has pledged $10 million to a global fund to help developing countries respond to climate change damage.  Minister-in-charge, Simon Watts has made the commitment at the UN Climate Change Summit in Azerbaijan. Watts says the contribution will help deliver effective support to help people in the most-affected regions build stronger communities. He explained that this will come out of New Zealand's overseas aid budget. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concern for hundreds of Kiwi workers as one of New Zealand's biggest pulp and paper mills looks to halt production. Tokoroa's Kinleith Mill plans to halt paper processing by June 2025 - with 230 jobs on the line. E tū negotiations specialist Joe Gallagher says these jobs cuts will have a ripple effect that impacts the rest of Tokoroa. "Tokoroa was born out of the fact that a lot of people migrated to the area to work at Kinleith - a lot of people rely on Kinleith. 230 jobs is not insignificant and that's not counting the downstream of people in cafes, doctors, nurses and all those other jobs. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's proof regulating children's screen time can reduce the risk of childhood obesity. An Auckland University study has found cutting young children's device use and ensuring they get enough sleep both lower obesity risk. Professor Boyd Swinburn says it used data from more than 5,000 children aged between two to four-and-a-half He says the World Health Organisation recommends pre-schoolers have less than an hour of screentime a day. "In this cohort, 70 percent of them actually had more than an hour of screen time a day - it is a challenge keeping these young kids from the screens." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.