Larry Williams Drive

The Ministry of Health is under fire for failing to declare a conflict of interest.   It recently came to light that one of the officials advising Minister Casey Costello on tobacco reforms was the sister-in-law of Labour’s health spokesperson, Ayesha Verrall.  Verrall is a vocal opponent of Costello’s policies.  Senior Political Reporter Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan that it’s a disgrace.  He says that even though the Director General of Health says the Ministry adhered strictly to the rules of conflict of interest, they failed to pass that particular conflict on to Costello.  Soper says they’ve fallen well short, as multiple people were well aware of the conflict and failed to report it.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time last year Arepa found themselves in hot water after the government officials decided that made unsubstantial health claims of cognitive and physical boosting abilities, they are forced to amend these claims and now back launching a new brain drink – Uplift. Co-Founder of Arepa, Angus Brown told Heather Du Plessis – Allan that this time round he's proud to call the "brain drink” because of the fact him and his team committed a lot of time and effort towards conducting human clinical research and have that peer reviewed and published. Brown says that its a really tough market but they're on the journey. He says that they are certainly making some strides towards it and are still the one and only drink that anybody could pick up in the supermarketthat's got clinical research behind it. “Learning this toughness in New Zealand is teaching us about how we can become fitter for entering bigger markets like the US” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government will be making an announcement on improving safety on Auckland's public transport network. A woman was fatally stabbed on a bus on Wednesday - and 37 year old Aucklander Kael Leona appeared in court today charged with murder. The ministers of Police and Auckland held talks with AT and Police this afternoon, and Simeon Brown will make an announcement tomorrow. Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he has a different role to play. Mitchell says he's focusing on reassurance at the moment - and will meet the victim's family if asked. Mitchell says for the past few weeks he and Brown have been discussing with authorities how to improve transport safety. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Chris Luxon has apologised to Samoa's Government, over the sinking of HMNZS Manawanui this month. Chris Luxon and Political Editor Jason Walls is at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa. Luxon says his meeting with the king went well and that he was “very knowledgeable” about several issues. Walls says that the king expressed his love for New Zealand by the amount of knowledge he had for it and that the Prime Minister said that he was “quite charming”. Walls said that Luxon was very clear yesterday that it has not been as bad as he imagined it was or any of the initial estimates in terms of environmental change. As there is verylimitedenvironmental damage, Walls says that people don't seem too overwhelmingly upset. Walls said that Luxon said that he's “chalking that up to a big, a good win and of course the fact that nobody died”. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

West Auckland MP, Simon Court has lodged a new members bill to abolish New Zealand's last remaining liquor monopolies. He says its frankly condescending to the nearly 300,000 people who live in West Auckland as well as the people who live in Invercargill and Gore - that they can't enjoy the same access to hospitalityand purchasing beer or wine than everywhere else in New Zealand. Court believes that they deserve the same rights as the rest of New Zealanders. He says that not only are they lacking choice but there's also a huge opportunity in terms of jobs and economy for West Auckland to participate that they don't currently have. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahead of the upcoming US election, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has accused the UK's Labour Party of trying to interfere with the results. The Trump campaign has alleged that Labour sent party members over to key battleground states to campaign for his opponent, Kamala Harris. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the Trump campaign has cited a LinkedIn post saying 100 party staffers were headed to the US to campaign for Harris. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plenty of Kiwi customers are still enjoying Netflix's output - and the company's doing well among investors. But as times get tough, the streaming giant has walked back on an earlier promise and looks to introduce ads on the service. Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explains why Netflix has made these changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Minister for Trade and Agriculture is in Brazil on a New Zealand Trade Mission to São Paulo.  Todd McClay is expected to meet with experts and business leaders to bring the nations closer together. The Country's Rowena Duncum explains the opportunities that could come out of these meetings. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Electricity Authority said market options were available to big power users during the winter price spike that some blamed for their closure. The closures prompted the EA – the regulator – to investigate the options available to big power users, and it found hedges available tended to be lower than the overlapping average ASX price at the time. Last month, a number of Kiwi businesses, including Pan Pac, Winstone Pulp and Oji were forced to close, citing surging electricity costs. ERANZ chief executive Bridget Abernethy says the prices were higher than usual - but the companies had alternative options to bring their costs down. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Government is looking to bring public sector performance pay back by the next financial year. Do we agree with this move? A female passenger was stabbed to death on a bus in Onehunga last night - how concerned are we? Is this a sign people with a history of violence should be kept in jail? More backlash against David Seymour's school lunch programme - do we think sustainable packaging should have been a concern? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 24 October 2024, Auckland Transport says it's putting more security patrols on public transport following the deadly bus stabbing. Chief Ombudsman Peter Boshier says Oranga Tamariki is still failing to keep kids in its care safe. Perhaps the weirdest interview of the year - with the man who's upset with David Seymour's new school lunches because of their packaging. Plus the Huddle gets very heated when debating whether our lax approach to punishing criminals is to blame for yesterday's bus stabbing. 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.

David Seymour's new school lunch programme has opened up more concerns - this time from environmentalists.  The new lunches are expected to come in aluminium trays and non-compostable packaging, prompting worry about sustainability, with some suggesting the food should come in less 'wasteful' packaging. Ecoware co-founder James Calver has raised concerns about the lack of recyclable materials to be found - and he thinks the sustainability aspect is worth discussing.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The return of performance pay for public service bosses could be a good thing - if done right. The Minister-in-charge, Nicola Willis, confirms it will be back by the next financial year. In 2018, then-State Services Minister Chris Hipkins cut performance pay, attempting to slow CEO salary growth. Victoria University Researcher Geoff Plimmer says many studies show it can be disastrous - so it needs to be carefully implemented. "I think you need to have really good measures, you need to audit them, make sure they're reliable - you need to update them occasionally as well, that seems to help." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chief Ombudsman says we can't yet be confident Oranga Tamariki will keep kids safe following the release of a new report. This report revealed Oranga Tamariki failed to investigate an abuse case involving four children, despite nine separate reports of mistreatment by their mother's partner. Peter Boshier says Oranga Tamariki was also given photographic evidence related to these incidents - and they should have carried out a proper in-depth investigation, at the very least.  "I had hoped that after I did my report on the death of Malachi Subecz two years ago - and the assurances were given by Oranga Tamariki that there would be dramatic change. And yet, this has happened." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can we say it now? It might be a bit early, but I'm going to say it - Kamala Harris was a mistake. The Democrats should never have picked her to run against Trump. I mean, never say never, but it's becoming more and more likely that Trumpy's gonna win in a couple of weeks. I said that last week, that he's too close behind her in the swing states - so he'll over-perform in them like he usually does on the night and then he'll win. But don’t take my word for it, you've got Nate Silver - a US election wizard - today saying his gut says Trump wins. You've also got The Economist saying Trump wins with a 54 percent likelihood compared to Kamala's likelihood of 45 percent and you've got a new Wall Street Journal poll giving Trump a narrow lead - with voters having a more positive view of him and a more negative view of Kamala. And you’ve got Democrats reportedly panicking over the fact they think he’s gonna win. If you cast your mind back, this was predictable. When there was all this talk of Biden stepping down, lo

Auckland Transport has spoken out after yesterday's fatal stabbing of a woman on an Onehunga bus. The man-hunt for a 37-year-old suspect ended this morning - when a man handed himself in at North Shore Police station. Police say the attack appears random and they don't think the victim and suspect knew each other. AT's Director of Public Transport, Stacey van der Putten, says they've increased staff numbers in Onehunga. She says it's very concerning - and such crime is very sporadic. "There's only so much we can do - it's a problem in terms of anti-social behaviour. The vast majority of people are really well behaved, these are tiny issues compared to what we generally see."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's checked out the front-line of the HMNZS Manawanui clean-up in Samoa - as he attends the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Small amounts of oil and debris from the Kiwi Navy ship have littered the waters near Upolu, since it sank more than two weeks ago.  ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this still isn't a good look for New Zealand. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Independent senator Lidia Thorpe recently claimed she pledged Queen Elizabeth's 'hairs' and not 'heirs' when she recited her parliamentary oath. Thorpe has been accused of violating her pledge to the monarchy after she shouted at King Charles during his Parliament House visit on Monday. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this raises questions about Thorpe's legitimacy as a senator.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Swapping a seamer for a spinner is the Black Caps' major consideration heading into the second test against India starting in Pune this afternoon. New Zealand has been preparing for a slower, flatter pitch with more turn and much lower bounce compared to the first test in Bengaluru. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains what fans can expect from this match. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government is celebrating a drop in numbers of children living in emergency housing. Associate Housing Minister Tama Potaka says almost 1500 have moved to social housing since the Government's Priority One policy was introduced in April. He says the total children who've left emergency housing since they took office is closer to 2500. "Some of them have not gone into social housing, they've just gone into private housing - and that housing offers an accommodation supplement. They've gone into different types of housing. But we've seen a massive shift." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.