Larry Williams Drive

Coldplay is set to hit the stage at Auckland's Eden Park later tonight, with over 50,000 people being expected to attend. Extra public transport services are scheduled and fans will have the option to walk down a trail from the CBD - but traffic will be heavy. Auckland Unlimited's head of major events, Michelle Hooper, says the headliners are expected to start about 8.15pm. "They are absolutely global icons - and I'm just so pumped that Auckland's buzzing at the moment as a city. Coldplay are such loyalists to Auckland." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A longtime Black Power member says he'll be waiting to see how enforcement of the gang patch ban plays out from Thursday next week.  Denis O'Reilly says the extensive preparatory meetings between gangs and police could mean it goes well.  He says care is needed.  "We need calm heads and steady hands and careful words, I think." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Trump is tapping the shoulder of billionaire Elon Musk for a new role. The incoming US president has handed the Tesla boss leadership of the new Department of Government Efficiency, alongside Republican Vivek Ramaswamy. Its goal will be cutting regulations and bureaucracy. But US correspondent Dan Mitchinson says it's not necessarily a job. "These guys can keep their real jobs that pay a gazillion dollars - and still have influence over policy." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 A host of young talent have earned fulltime contracts with the Blues for next season. Among the seven fresh faces are fullback Payton Spencer - son of former All Blacks first-five Carlos - and loose forward Che Clark. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's some new Government measures to regulate online gambling operators. Only 15 operators will be granted licenses  - which will include mandatory age verification.  Ads targeting children will be banned and operators will be limited to casino games, not sports betting or lotteries.  Breaches could result in $5 million dollar fines.  Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says things need tightening up. "At the moment, anybody can go online and play thousands of different regulated games in New Zealand. It is a bit of a wild west."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've actually been surprised at the level of anger I've heard expressed today at that Treaty Principles Bill hīkoi crossing over the Harbour Bridge - and I don't think it's a good thing for this particular cause. Yesterday, completely out of the blue, I got an email from a mum I know complaining about the impact it will l have on kids trying to get to their NCEA exams on time. Today, I bumped into someone this morning furious about the timing because it was rush hour. And someone in my family is raging about it as well. To be fair to these people, it's understandable anger and I can see why they're so cross. Basically, it's because this protest feels like it was designed to create disruption. Either that or the organisers didn't think it through - which I doubt very much because they have proven to be quite deliberate in a bunch of the things they do. What happened to facilitate the hīkoi today was that authorities had to close two lanes on the Harbour Bridge in our biggest city from 8 in the morning - at pea

I think the hardest news story to read today is of the kindergarten teacher in Victoria who died yesterday afternoon saving children from a truck that smashed into the kindy.   The truck driver lost control, the truck ploughed into the kindy, the teacher pushed the kids out of the way, but died herself.  The speed limit outside that kindergarten was supposed to be dropped from 50 to 40 kph – but hadn’t been.   A similar thing happened a few weeks ago in Melbourne.   An SUV crashed into a primary school, killing an 11-year-old boy and hurting 4 other children.   I don't love speed reductions.   All too often they’re done in stupid places like open roads. But when it comes to places where kids are, I've completely 180’d on this.   I read the book ‘The Anxious Generation’ a few weeks ago. The book tracks why kids are having mental crises en masse lately.   One of the reasons, particularly for boys, is that since the 1970s parents have increasingly stopped their kids from j

Keir Starmer will be the first UK Prime Minister to join Armistice Day commemorations in France since Winston Churchill in 1944.  UK correspondent Enda Brady tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the British leader was there to get private time with Macron in order to discuss Trump’s re-election.  Meanwhile, cold case detectives in Ireland have made a breakthrough in the notorious case of a young woman who had been missing for 21 years.  And, BBC’s top sports presenter Gary Lineker will leave Match of the Day after 25 years.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Retailers continue to struggle along as many watch every penny spent.  Electronic card spending data showed a 1.1% fall in October compared to last year. September was down 5.6%.  As retailers brace for the most important season of the year, Chief Executive at Retail NZ Carolyn Young tells Heather du Plessis-Allan it may be a tough period of time.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 12 November 2024, the Government has delivered an official apology to victims of state and faith based abuse. Survivors have been focusing their anger on one very specific person today.  Chris Luxon spoke to US president-elect Donald Trump this morning, so what did the two really talk about?  Everyone's thinking twice about taking their car to the car wash after one woman's terrifying experience in Christchurch.  The Huddle debates Heather's favourite interview of the week with Federated Farmers' Toby Williams.  Plus Heather admits that she's made a grave error committing to pronounce all French words in English.  Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE       See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers is calling for the Government to urgently distance itself from a radical new pine planting proposal released by the Climate Change Commission.  ANZ is not going to introduce climate targets for farming customers.  And, voting has opened on a proposal from Kiwifruit marketer Zespri to increase plantings of SunGold in other countries.  Host of The Country Jamie Mackay joins Heather du Plessis-Allan.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Economists are warning that NZ may have to downgrade its economic outlook as a result of Donald Trump’s re-election.  Analysts from BMI have revised down our growth forecast from 2% to 1.8% for next year.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen tells Heather du Plessis-Allan it is not just the proposed tariffs that are causing the outlook.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fonterra has confirmed it will sell off its consumer brands such as Anchor, Mainland and Kapiti.  The company claims there has been significant interest but is considering whether to go for a straight sale or a listing of the brands.  Dairy Insights Consultant Stuart Davison tells Heather du Plessis-Allan Fonterra wants to simplify the core business of New Zealand-processed milk.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Chief of Staff to Jacinda Ardern, Mike Munro and Kiwiblog and Curia pollster David Farrar join the Huddle to discuss the apology for victims of state care, Trump and Luxon’s phone call, car wash horrors, and reduced speed limits in urban areas.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federated Farmers is calling on the Government to part ways with a new pine planting proposal released by the Climate Change Commission last week.  The proposal comes after the UN asked the Government to come up with a new 2035 Emission’s Reduction Target by February. The Commission’s suggestions would see large areas of farmland used for planting pine trees.  Farmers say they need the land for productive farmland.  Federated Farmers Meat & Wool Chair Toby Williams tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the conversion will drive up NZ beef and lamb prices and force the country to become a net food importer.  “We have to sacrifice everything. We have to sacrifice our nation, our rural people and our rural communities just so we can agree to a piece of paper that was signed in Paris.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch woman believed she was going to die when a car wash malfunctioned while she was in it.  The brushes hit her car so hard that the bonnet, roof and sides were crumpled and scratched, and her spoiler was completely ripped off.  After making it out of the car wash, staff gave the woman a flyer with an 0800 number she never heard back from. The car wash was back in service later that night.  Acting Head of Research and Advocacy at Consumer NZ, Jessica Walker tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the Consumer Guarantees Act requires reasonable care and skill is provided for a service, and this case clearly did not meet that standard.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has spoken to US President Donald Trump on the phone for the first time since the US election, saying he congratulated Trump on his big win.  The pair talked about deepening ties between NZ and the US.  Former Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sir Don McKinnon tells Heather du Plessis-Allan that there will be around 190 prime ministers and presidents eager to speak to Trump, and it seems NZ has been fairly high up in the queue.  “That’s a good sign.”  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon today issued an official apology to everyone who was abused in state and faith-based care.  Luxon said the current system for paying redress to survivors is not good enough and announced $32 million of new funding to sort this out.  Seven other public sector leaders have also apologised for their departments’ role in abuse, including Solicitor General Una Jagose.  The crowd met her address with jeers, pushback, tears and booing.  Leoni McInroe is a Lake Alice survivor and attended the apology today. McInroe tells Heather du Plessis-Allan Jagose has been an active part of denying and dismissing survivors stories and should step down.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a historic official apology to the estimated 200,000-plus people who were abused in state and faith-based care institutions over decades.  Plus, Lindsay McKenzie has been appointed as Wellington City Council’s Crown observer and starts the job tomorrow.  And, the ACT party is supporting removing a broadcasting allocation from taxpayer funding in the lead-up to an election.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A teacher aide has died in Australia after a truck crashed into a preschool playground. The crash comes less than two weeks after an 11-year-old was killed and four other students injured after an SUV crashed through a fence in Melbourne. Australia correspondent Murray Olds tells Heather du Plessis-Allan the teacher aide saved a number of children’s lives by pushing them out of the way in time. Her family has paid tribute to the “cherished mother, wife, daughter and sister”. Plus, four foreign nationals have been found on a remote island off the northern territory. And, plant lovers are queueing up to catch a once-in-a-decade whiff of the corpse flower in Melbourne. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.