Larry Williams Drive

The All Blacks lineup has entered the spotlight, with four changes made for Saturday's rematch against the Pumas at Eden Park. Rieko Ioane's swapped in for Anton Leinert-Brown to start at centre while Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan are the starting wingers. Ethan de Groot's out with a neck injury so Tamaiti Williams starts in the front row while former captain Sam Cane's onto the bench. Former All Black Sir John Kirwan says this will be a good chance for TJ Perenara to redeem himself after last week's loss. "He'll get out there and make amends - or he'll be under some real pressure. That's probably why he's out there." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday August 15, an expert from Massey University shared his theory about where the infamous batch of meth-laced lollies came from. Associate Education Minister David Seymour unveiled his plan for school lunches - and explained how it worked out to be so cost-effective. North Korea is set to open its doors to tourists again. Former Sunday reporter Mark Crysell shared why it might be worth visiting. Former All Black Sir John Kirwan summed up his thoughts on this weekend's team lineup ahead of the All Blacks-Argentina rematch. Plus, The Huddle debates whether Eden Park should be allowed to host more concerts. 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.

North Korea's set to reopen for international tourists by the end of the year. Two tour companies with connections to the isolated country have made separate online announcements - saying tour groups would be allowed to visit the city of Samjiyon. It's been almost five years since the country shut its borders due to the pandemic. Former Sunday reporter Mark Crysell has been to North Korea, and says he recommends visiting. "Every other country in the world is pretty much the same now because of globalisation - North Korea is like going to the moon. And when you go inside, it's like being sealed in a tupperware container." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Associate Education Minister's unveiled his new plan for school lunches. Newstalk ZB can reveal nine sample recipes from the Ministry of Education include butter chicken, a chicken sandwich, a rice and bean burrito, and Thai chicken curry. David Seymour says these choices are the most cost-effective ways to keep Kiwi students fed. "There's every reason to believe that we're going to be able to deliver what's been indicated - at the prices that have been indicated." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The submissions are open, you can now have your say on whether Eden Park should be allowed to have 12 concerts a year, which is double what they have at the moment.  And from me, it is absolutely a ‘hell yes’.Give them 12 concerts, it's a great place for a show. I've been to a few shows there now - Pink, Ed Sheeran, Billy Joel... and honestly, because of how good it was as a music venue, I struggle to imagine a time when Eden Park didn’t host music. It seemed so natural. But they only had their first concert, Six60, in 2021. In the interests of transparency, I have to say for a couple of those concerts, I was there because Eden Park invited me. And I'm not naïve, I suspect they invited me so I could see what a great venue it was. And it worked, because I was quite impressed with it. Obviously, Eden Park isn't the only venue Auckland City's got, there's a whole bunch of them - and if you want to have a big open-air stadium concert, there's Mt Smart. But I still reckon Eden Park beats it on a couple of fronts.

There's risk the needs of disabled people won't be met as their ministry is carved up. Support services are moving to the Ministry of Social Development, after a review found a lack of control over funding and services at Whaikaha. Disability Support Network CEO Peter Reynolds says the sector has been struggling for over a decade - and doesn't have faith in MSD. "As recently as June 30, three contracts expired across a couple of hundred providers. No replacement contracts were issued for two months - that's two months that those providers didn't receive any funding." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over in Australia, Opposition leader Peter Dutton has claimed Australia should not accept Palestinian refugees fleeing conflict in Gaza, citing 'security risks'. Dutton's comments have been rejected by senior Albanese government figures, as officials try to keep Palestinian refugees in the country for longer. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says Dutton has been accused of trying to stir up division. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Infrastructure is high on the agenda for the Prime Minister's meetings in Australia. Chris Luxon and Ministers Shane Jones, Simeon Brown and Chris Bishop have met with top-brass at Kiwi engineering firm Beca, and had infrastructure talks with the New South Wales Premier. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper unpacks Luxon's new model for infrastructure. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former captain Sam Cane has returned to the All Blacks in the way he played much of the early part of his test career - via the bench. Cane will back up the loose forwards in Saturday's rematch against Argentina from jersey 20 in his first test since last year's World Cup final. There are four changes to the side that lost in Wellington - with Tamaiti Williams, Rieko Ioane, Caleb Clarke and Will Jordan all starting. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Auckland police have recovered more meth-laced lollies overnight, and are investigating a report someone tried to sell one. The fake Rinda pineapple sweets were donated to Auckland City Mission - which unwittingly distributed them in food parcels. Police have retrieved another 13 since yesterday, bringing the total to 29. Massey University's Professor Chris Wilkins suspects Mexican cartels may have been behind this incident. "The Mexican cartels are particularly innovative and have expertise in smuggling, because they have been, for many decades, transporting drugs across the borders of the US."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK's inflation rate has risen for the first time since December, ticking up to 2.2 percent in the year to July. According to experts, this rise is largely due to prices of gas and electricity falling by less than they did in 2023. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says this increase was expected - but it's not good for the economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian forces have now gained control of 74 settlements in Russia's Kursk region. The governor of Russia’s border area of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, has declared a region-wide state of emergency - and is appealing to President Putin to declare a federal emergency. New Voice of Ukraine editor Euan MacDonald says it's unlikely Russia expected this latest border attack. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Several Kiwi businesses have expressed relief as the Reserve Bank announces cuts to the OCR. The cash rate has been dropped 25 basis points to 5.25 percent - the first significant cut to the OCR since 2020.  Milford Asset Management's Katlyn Parker unpacks the wider market response. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's shock and excitement across the nation, as the Reserve Bank makes cuts to the OCR for the first time since 2020. The Bank's slashed the cash rate by 25 basis points to 5.25 percent. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny unpacks what brought this change on - and what caused Governor Adrian Orr to announce this. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank says several factors are driving down inflation. It's cut the Official Cash Rate to 5.25 percent, saying it's now confident inflation is returning to the one-to-three percent target range. The Government is claiming credit for the turn-around - saying tax cuts and government spending cuts have been reducing inflationary pressure. ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says the Government will have been waiting for this announcement.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, journalist Clare de Lore and Jack Tame rom ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Reserve Bank has cut the OCR down by 25 basis points for the first time since 2020. Are we surprised by this news? What will this do for the mood of the nation? There's tensions at Health NZ, as Health Commissioner Lester Levy had to step in and shoot down a proposal to cut 2000 doctors and nurses to save money. What's going on here? Will CEO Margie Apa have to step down? More outrage at Wellington Council, after it's been revealed they spent $84,000 on a bike rack that nobody uses. Is this the best use of taxpayer money? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 14 August 2024 -a huge u-turn from the Reserve Bank with a cut to the Official Cash Rate today. Former Reserve Bank economist Michael Reddell and ASB boss Vittoria Short speak to Heather about the move. Drug Foundation boss Sarah Helm tells Heather what we know about the meth lollies that were handed out in Auckland mission food packages. The Huddle debates what's going on at Health NZ after commissioner Lester Levy publicly rebuked a suggestion by staff to make doctors and nurses redundant. Plus, why did Barry Soper drop out of his police officer course? 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.

The boss of Health NZ needs to go.Her job is no longer tenable after the stunt that was pulled yesterday, where her management team gave a presentation to other staff proposing that the way they would save money was to cut nearly 500 doctors and nearly 1500 nurses.It doesn't look like Margie Apa can plead ignorance or innocence on this one, because according to a source who spoke to the media outlet Newsroom, the presentation wasn’t a stunt - those cuts were actually planned. And at least one region of the organisation had already started making plans to consult and implement the changes. It's hard to imaging that happening without the CEO signing off on it. It is impossible to have confidence in her as the boss of Health NZ if she genuinely believes that the way to save money is to cut doctors and nurses in a health system that already doesn’t have enough doctors and nurses.She was already on thin ice before yesterday, because from the way she was running the place, it had been blowing its budget by $130 mil

ASB is welcoming the news that the Reserve Bank has cut the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points. This comes after the bank's run of record annual profits ended with a 10 percent fall in its cash profit as borrowing demand slowed down. Chief Executive Vittoria Shortt says today's OCR cut comes at a perfect time. "I think it's a really good thing for New Zealand households and New Zealand businesses. We've already been reducing our fixed home loan rates, we started doing that last year...this is a continuation for us." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children's Minister says it's unsurprising a young offender has dropped out of the Government boot camp pilot just two weeks in. Participants can opt out under current legislation, although the Government plans to amend the law. Minister Karen Chhour says she won't go into detail on why they left, to protect their privacy, but staff expected this possibility. She says the programme includes wrap-around support. "We're making sure that we could get them in front of a judge to change their sentencing plan - so this young person hasn't got off lightly. They're still completing their sentence, it'll just be at another facility." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.