Larry Williams Drive

Kīngi Tuheitia's youngest child has ascended the throne to become the new Māori Queen. 27-year-old Ngā Wai hono i te pō has been anointed, and her father laid to rest alongside his ancestors on Maungataupiri. Broadcaster Stacey Morrison says the young Queen is well-known. She says she stands out when she performs kapa haka. "That's when she is really firing and you go - wow, this is someone who has very strong will and character. I see in her a quiet and humble strength."  Tamaki Makaurau's Sky Tower is turning off all except aircraft warning lights tonight, to mark Tuheitia's burial. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wellington ratepayers have reportedly paid more than $550,000 on the upgrade of a 32m laneway to accommodate a new designer bike rack and two extra motorbike parks. Work to install the bike rack in Wellington's Shell Lane, off The Terrace was carried out earlier this year - in addition to extra upgrades around the area, new security cameras and new motorbike parks. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacks the 'wasteful' spending on part of the council.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian breakdancer Raygun is speaking out about the negative global reaction to her Olympic performance. Rachael Gunn says many people didn't understand her performance - and she was saddened to see how much hate it evoked. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson voiced his disapproval with her rise to fame. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Rugby's embracing the support in Cape Town - as it remains a stronghold of All Blacks fandom. The All Blacks are set to play their second match against the Springboks this weekend, with New Zealand hoping to turn their luck around. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave weighs up the odds ahead of the big clash. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister's welcoming support from a billionaire admirer. Elon Musk replied to a tweet by Chris Luxon this week - about being in Malaysia. The founder of SpaceX and Tesla wrote he likes the new New Zealand PM, adding he has good energy and talks directly to the public. Speaking from South Korea, Luxon was pleased to hear of the boost. "That's great, I'll take support from anyone. But more importantly, I'm just focused on the job and getting things done." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having watched Raygun the Aussie breakdancer’s first big interview, which aired on The Project in Australia last night - I think it's pretty clear that you should not waste your emotions feeling sorry for her because she is making the most out of this. The natural inclination, obviously, is to feel sorry for her, because she completely embarrassed herself jumping around like a kangaroo on the Olympic stage and she's since been the subject of a global pile-on, countless jokes at her expense and even some accusations about her rigging her entry into the Olympics, which seem to be unfounded. But Raygun does not appear to be particularly ground down by this situation at all. On the contrary - in that interview, she seems to be kind of enjoying the ride. She says there have been some tough times, but on the other hand - she's quite enjoying getting messages from Richard Branson telling her her performance was 'plucky' and that he'd like to have her on some cruises with Boy George sometime. As she says - what is li

The final report on the Grenfell disaster is set to be published - six years after the inquiry began hearing evidence about what caused the incident. The fire caused the deaths of 72 people in a London tower block fire in 2017. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the report will examine how the tower block came to be in a condition that allowed the fire to spread. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new survey by ASB indicates Kiwis aren't expecting house prices to pick up again anytime soon. According to ASB's Housing Confidence survey, a net 13 percent of respondents believe house prices will go up - down more than 30 percent compared with last quarter. A net 20 percent of respondents now expect lower interest rates and only a net 8 percent think now is a good time to buy. ASB chief economist Nick Tuffley says falling interest rates haven't inspired confidence in sellers. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US market is up almost 16 percent on the year - but big names like Starbucks, Nike, and Lululemon have been struggling. The consumer discretionary sector has jumped 4 percent, with a number of companies being dubbed 'fallen angels'. Milford Asset Management's Stephanie Batchelor explains how investors can proceed. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Savers have rushed to lock in high interest rates ahead of the Reserve Bank cutting the OCR for the first time in more than four years. New RBNZ data shows households put an extra $2.1 billion in term deposits in July - which saw the amount of money held in term deposits rise to a record $136 billion. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains why people have been making these choices.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Minister says a third big player in our supermarket sector is unlikely to come from overseas. A first annual Commerce Commission report on the grocery market has found no meaningful improvement in competition. It wants New Zealand's two major operators - Foodstuffs and Woolworths - pressured more and for it to be made it easier for a third to enter. Minister Andrew Bayly says overseas giants like Aldi aren't interested in moving over to New Zealand. "I've been talking to one or two other players who could possibly come to New Zealand - but right now, I couldn't put my hand on my heart and say there are lots of people lining up." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and podcaster Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Do we appreciate trigger warnings in our media - or have they gone too far and ruined things? The Commerce Commission's first Annual Grocery Report found retail margins are increasing and profitability is still high for the big supermarket chains. Can we find a solution to this? A young Christchurch couple found $230,000 in their new home - and are fighting to keep it. Do they have a case, or do they need to hand it over to the police? AUT is offering Australasia's first paper on Taylor Swift. Is this all that is wrong with universities nowadays - or a valuable subject? LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 4 September 2024, the Grocery Commissioner tells Heather Kiwis are still being ripped off at the supermarket checkout. A lawyer weighs in on the question of whether you should have to give up cash you find after a couple found $230,000 stashed away in the roof of their new house. Police want the cash forfeited because it might be linked to crime. Hollywood actor Matt Smith has weighed in on the debate of trigger warnings, saying they "dumb down" TV shows and movies. Psychologist Dougal Sutherland reckons they're actually counterproductive. Plus the Huddle debates whether AUT's new course on Taylor Swift is cool or everything that's wrong with education these days. 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.

'Trigger warnings' on sensitive content have been thrust into the spotlight after Hollywood actor Matt Smith criticised their use.  The House of the Dragon star claimed giving viewers 'trigger warnings' has left TV shows 'dumbed-down'. Clinical psychologist Dougal Sutherland says these warnings aren't particularly useful - and can create problems in their own right. "What they do do is they increase people's anxiety in advance of something coming up, and that people don't end up avoiding looking up at or watching the thing you're supposed to be not looking at." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Early childhood education providers are hopeful ending pay parity for relievers will allow more permanent roles. From October, only permanent part-time or full-time certified teachers will be paid according to the pay parity policy. The Early Childhood Council says 74 percent of its members support the exclusion. Chief executive Simon Laube approves of removing this educational 'red tape'.  "You just create an inducement for them to leave teaching and become relievers if you do - so there's some real common sense today." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's new insights into New Zealand's ancient fauna from a 20-year dig. An international team of palaeontologists researching the St Bathans fossil site in Central Otago have concluded kakapo, small wrens, bats and freshwater limpets arrived well before other well known species - like kiwi and moa. Canterbury Museum Senior Natural History Curator Paul Scofield says they also uncovered signs of other surprising animals living here. "We had two species of crocodile - and we believe that they most likely became extinct at the beginning of the ice age about two or three years ago." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a very big call on the supermarkets today - the Grocery Commissioner has accused them of ripping us off. Now, a lot of people will probably agree with that and think - what of it? But there's a difference between you or I feeling ripped off when you’re standing in front of the olive oil looking at a price of $30 and someone like the Grocery Commissioner saying it out loud on the radio. It's a very big call - and for someone like him to do that, he's got to have the proof. And he reckons he does. It's been two years since the last Government starting cracking down on supermarkets, but instead of things getting better, they're getting worse. The margins that supermarkets are making off of us are going up, they're not paying their suppliers a hell of a lot more, but they're charging you and I a hell of a lot more. That's the opposite of what's supposed to happen. Which is to say - that crackdown didn't work. And that is no surprise to anyone with half a brain who was watching what the last Government did

The Grocery Commissioner says the returns our big supermarkets get on assets is about double what overseas equivalents make. The Commerce Commission's first annual report into the grocery market shows competition hasn't meaningfully improved. It flags increasing margins and high profitability. Pierre van Heerden says overseas grocers make less because they have more competition. "The return on assets is about 11 percent vs 5.5-6 percent overseas." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for August 2024 shows support for the coalition Government has gone up in August. National's approval rating has jumped 3.5 points to 36 percent and support for NZ First increased 1 point to 7.5 percent - but support for ACT dropped 1.5 points to 9.5 percent. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the poll shows the coalition has generated more support by male voters than female voters. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in the US, universities are trying to clamp down on student protests as the new academic year starts up. University leaders are expecting a new wave of protests as the conflict between Israel and Hamas rages on in Gaza. US correspondent Logan Church says security has tightened up at New York universities - with police guarding the campuses. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.