Larry Williams Drive

The defence has kicked off their case in the Philip Polkinghorne murder trial. The Auckland eye surgeon's accused of killing his wife, Pauline Hanna, in their home in 2021. The defence says Hanna took her own life. It called its first witness, Pauline's sister Tracey, who believes Hanna took her own life. The Herald's Craig Kapitan told Heather du Plessis-Allan Polkinghorne's defence lawyer has argued if it's murder he would have had to do it with no mistakes. He says the lawyer's argued there's no forensic evidence to back up the crown's case. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yeah, it looks like the trouble is not nearly close to being over for TVNZ, the news out today is that they've made the loss that we were expecting about 29,000,000 bucks and it is not ending there.   They now have to find another $30 million worth of savings to make another 30 million, which basically what they've just done and they need to do that fast. So I would say brace yourself. Because it's almost certain shows are going to be cut again and staff are going to be fired again already the rumours are that breakfast is in the boss's sights and the reason  that everybody's worried about breakfast, is because the contracts for that show run out in December.   And to be honest they’ve pretty much made this rumor worse because they've put up an advert looking for a foreign producer for breakfast and in bold in the ad it says this is a fixed term contract until the end of the year. I mean, why would you be hiring somebody? What is it August just through to the end of the year, right, it started. To raise the q

The UK Government is reportedly planning to ban smoking in outdoor public areas amid health concerns. Leaked documents claim smoking in beer gardens, outside restaurants and hospitals, and football stadiums could soon be made illegal. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Nigel Farage has already voiced opposition to the moves to ban outdoor smoking. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing market interest in humanoids - robots and robotic technology designed to mimic humans. New improvements in technology have opened up room for more developments in the world of robotics, and it's caught the eyes of investors. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ten years ago, New Zealand had a 'rockstar economy' according to experts. In 2014, New Zealand's GDP growth turned out to be among the strongest across the OECD economies. HSBC chief economist Paul Bloxham unveiled his tips for how the nation can change its tune and bring those figures back. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Darleen Tana's won another round against the Greens, with the party postponing their meeting about her political future until the legal mess is sorted. What do we think will happen next? Parking fines are set to go up by 7 percent to bring in more money to local councils. Do we agree with this?  Ginny Andersen is under fire for refusing to believe the official police stats on foot patrols. Is this a bad look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's CEO isn't holding back his frustration about the issues plaguing some of its engines. The airline's earnings, underlying profit, and net profit have all more than halved. Air New Zealand is one of several airlines that have seen planes taken out of action due to engine issues. CEO Greg Foran says the newer planes have been plagued by engine issues - creating problems for the airline. "The older planes we've got, we're not having to take engines off and get them all serviced. But the newer ones - we did." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 29 August 2024, have the Greens rolled over under the pressure of Darleen Tana? Legal expert Andrew Geddis explains what we learnt from this morning's hearing. Air NZ chief executive Greg Foran tells Heather when his planes will finally be on time - and why business is so tough right now. All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland on the team that's going to take on South Africa this weekend - and what it's like without Leon MacDonald. Plus, the Huddle weighs in on the Government putting up parking infringement fees by 70%. 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 two key starting changes to the All Blacks side set to face the Springboks in Johannesburg on Sunday. Sam Cane starts his first test since last year’s World Cup final - a match in which he was sent off against the same opposition. A thumb injury to Dalton Papali’i means the former captain is elevated from the reserves. All Blacks assistant coach Jason Holland says Sam Cane's been training hard over the last couple of weeks. "He's been looking really sharp for the last couple of weeks in training - there's no better man to have in your group when you're going to Ellis Park." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many people dream of becoming social media influencers - but the reality is a lot less glamorous.  According to new data from the IRD, only 60 people in New Zealand are working full-time as influencers, with the average annual income being $46,000. Thompson Spencer co-founder and CEO Melanie Spencer is surprised by these statistics. "We have influencers earning well over $10,000 per piece of content... we've got an influencer that's earned $30,000-$40,000 this year and we're only halfway through." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Local Government Minister is pulling no punches about gang members wearing patches in Hawke's Bay Regional Council's chambers, which is illegal. The Council yesterday voted unanimously to keep its Māori Wards - but photos posted on Facebook afterwards included patched gang members celebrating. They've since been taken down The Council has replied it acknowledges people's concerns, but it doesn't have the authority to exclude members of the public. Simeon Brown says that's an excuse. He says the reality is it was an important vote and those patched gang members should not have been present. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is anyone else getting the feeling the Greens have underestimated just how far Darleen Tana will go to to mess with them? I feel like they might have bit off a bit much with this one. Because so far - it’s 2-nil to Darleen.She won the first round when she refused to quit Parliament. The Greens clearly thought that after they’d finished the report she’d just slink off in shame - but she refused to do that.And she’s just won the second round today by forcing the party to cancel that meeting they were planning to have on Sunday where they were going to plot kicking her out of Parliament. I'm actually impressed - this woman has got way more gumption than any of us thought.And who knows where it goes from here? Because this is clearly not the end, from where I'm sitting there are at least two more rounds to come. They're going to go to court in two weeks, that's another round - and then they'll have to actually, eventually trigger the waka-jumping law and kick her out. By now, they must be dreading what she pulls

Darleen Tana will still be in Parliament at least another two weeks, as the Greens push back a party vote until her legal challenge against them has concluded. The independent MP filed an injunction to stop a party meeting on Sunday discussing using waka-jumping legislation to remove her from Parliament. Otago University law professor Andrew Geddis says Tana's arguing she didn't really resign from the party, but was pushed out. "Basically what she's saying - that the investigation and the way the Greens treated her made her resign, rather than her choosing to resign. That's what she's going to have to try and convince the court of." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Green Party denies it's been out-manoeuvred by ex-MP Darleen Tana, whose legal proceedings have delayed this weekend's party vote. Delegates planned to decide on Sunday whether to use waka-jumping laws to force Tana from Parliament, now she's no longer a party member. That'll now be deferred until court proceedings on her injunction conclude. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says it's unclear when the decision will take place - but the Greens are guaranteed to use the waka-jumping laws to oust her. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is being questioned about a private conversation where he joked with the US Deputy Secretary of State about splitting the cost of the Pacific Policing Initiative. The initiative was announced in Tonga on Wednesday - and last night, a Kiwi journalist caught Albanese and Kurt Campbell jokingly discussing the plan. Later, Albanese brushed off the exchange and claimed there were no plans for the US to help cover the initiative's costs. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Albanese later claimed the recording was 'unethical'.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks are set to face off against the Springboks this weekend - their first clash since last year's Rugby World Cup. Coach Scott Robertson is likely to stick with what worked last time out when he names his side to face the Springboks. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave outlined his predictions here today.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minister Shane Jones has been on the receiving end of some backlash after his comments on the judiciary. Attorney-General Judith Collins plans to speak to Jones following a recent incident where he called a High Court judge a 'communist' - prompting concern from New Zealand Bar Association. Law Association Vice President Julie-Anne Kincade says respecting the judiciary is vital in a democracy. "I also share the concerns about some of the ways our politicians are expressing their views." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK is set to start talks on a new co-operation treaty with Germany, as the Labour Government looks to 'reset' relations with Europe. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer arrived in Berlin to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz - and he explained the deal was part of a bid to 'turn a corner' on Brexit. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the agreement will address trade opportunities - and cover energy security, technology and science. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air New Zealand's financial results are out tomorrow - and hopes aren't flying particularly high.  The airline has been hit with plane engine troubles, increased competition and decreased consumer demand. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton outlined some predictions about the airline's financial state. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Elevated interest rates have encouraged mortgage holders to switch banks at a record rate. The value of mortgages refinanced by a new bank climbed to $1.75 billion in July – the largest amount since at least 2017, when the Reserve Bank started publishing this data. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacks the market factors encouraging homeowners to bank-hop.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.