Larry Williams Drive

Soaring energy prices have been a topic of conversation at the moment as multiple mills are at risk of shutting up shop.  Regional Development Minister Shane Jones has issued a warning to generators, telling them to sort it out or else the Government will get involved.  Nicola Willis and Simeon Brown have stated that they’re making inquiries into the situation, and Winston Peters has gone a step further and accused electricity generators of anti-competitive behaviour and accused them of profiteering on the backs of people who have to pay their power bills.  Senior Political Correspondent Barry Soper told Heather du Plessis-Allan that this should end with Labour coming to the table and the supporting the government in lifting the ban they made on oil and gas exploration.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Christchurch city councillor says there could be options to come to a deal regarding the rebuild of Christ Church Cathedral.   Its future's in doubt as the Government refuses to step in to plug a $114 million funding gap for the restoration.   Asked if the Church could be sold rather than rebuilt, Tim Scandrett told Heather du Plessis Allan there are possibilities, but none have been presented to council.   He says the church owns property and could come to council with some options —which may be considered if they were in ratepayers' interests— but that hasn't happened.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pan Pac Forest Products says part of its operations could be on hold for another two months.   The Napier mill says a major spike in electricity prices since Saturday has made its export pulp production unviable.   Managing director Tony Clifford says the business can't generate profit with the cost of electricity at the current level.   He told Heather du Plessis Allan either it has to rain a lot for more hydro power, or Taupo's Tauhara plant needs to come online - which might not be until October.    He says Pan Pac has a power purchasing agreement with Tauhara and currently it's having problems, so Pan Pac is fully exposed to the wholesale electricity market.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The polls are pointed in Kamala Harris’ favour.  The Democratic candidate has taken an eight-point lead over the Republican’s Donald Trump, and with the addition of third-party candidates, Harris is leading 50% to Trump’s 42%.  This is a significant change from a few months ago, where Joe Biden was trailing a few points behind Donald Trump.  US Correspondent Mitch McCann told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the lead is likely a bit of a honeymoon phase at the moment, but the polls show it will be an incredibly close race.  He said she’s gaining momentum, and not just with public opinion, as her fundraising has been astronomical.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks are opening the Rugby Championship this Saturday evening.  They’re facing off against Argentina in Wellington’s Sky Stadium, and there are still tickets available.  Sportstalk Host D’Arcy Waldegrave told Heather du Plessis-Allan there’s probably a couple of reasons behind this.  He said that one factor could be that no one has the money for tickets, another could be the lack of build-up and promotion, or it could be that people don’t care about a match against Argentina.   LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Warnings that price hikes for international visas could chill the workforce.   The Government is increasing costs across almost all categories from October to bring in an extra $536 million over four years.   The cost for a skilled residence visa will rise by over $2000, and work visas are more than doubling in price.  New Zealand Association for Migration and Investment chair Arunima Dhingra told Heather du Plessis-Allan this will put some people off.   She says students will come no matter what because of the benefits, but migrants like tilers and carpenters with no residency pathways won't even bother.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The UK is still rife with unrest, over a week since the fatal stabbing of three girls in a Southport dance class. Far-right protests were sparked from a wave of false messaging online that wrongly identified the suspected killer as an Islamic migrant. UK correspondent Enda Brady explains the latest developments.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a turbulent week for financial markets - have things bounced back?  Japan's stocks have rebounded after their crash, but there's mixed results from around the rest of the world. Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A veteran Scottish shearer who is the only woman to qualify in the top 30 at the Golden Shears in Masterton has shattered a world record set by New Zealander Sacha Bond just six months ago. Shearing at Trefranck Farm in Cornwall, 51-year-old Una Cameron was chasing Bond’s solo women’s nine-hour strong wool ewes record of 458 and finished at 4am today (New Zealand time), with a new record of 517. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ASB has made a surprise call ahead of next week's OCR announcement. The bank is predicting the Reserve Bank will cut rates in the coming days - a sooner timeframe than initially predicted. NZ Herald business editor at large Liam Dann explains whether or not ASB makes a good case. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 8 August 2024, the Aratere Interislander ferry has crashed again! Minister Simeon Brown was wearing all the hats today - talking to Heather about the crash, our energy crisis and how councils will be able to pay for their water infrastructure in future. Heather reckons Paul Goldsmith made a mistake editing out Maori greetings and words from a letter to his Australian counterpart because it makes the Government look anti-Maori. The Huddle debates whether aspiring primary school teachers should have to pass maths NCEA Level 2 to qualify.And in business - can Allbirds make cool shoes again and turn its business around? 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.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Matt Heath from Radio Hauraki joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Interislander's Aratere is in hot water again after hitting a ramp docking in Wellington this afternoon. What's really going on here? The Government is requiring new teacher trainees to pass NCEA Level Two maths going forward. Are these measures fair? Do we need our teachers to be better educated? The Australians have responded well to Luxon making a joke at their expense - but the issue of Minister Paul Goldsmith removing Māori language from a Matariki invitation. What do we make of this? A group of Wellington Council members raised eyebrows after they walked out of a contentious meeting - do we agree with this choice?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's bad news for a former darling of the footwear world. Kiwi shoe company Allbirds, co-founded by former All White Tim Brown, has posted a net loss of $19 million for the second quarter of 2024. Greg Smith from Devon Funds says the company runs the risk of being de-listed from the Nasdaq. "The valuation of the company was over $4 billion, the year before, they'd made over $200 million in sales. Fast forward four years, they're still at $200 million - the cool factor dissipated." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three Wellington City Councillors walked out of a meeting this afternoon - around contentious roadworks on Thorndon Quay. The council agreed to reduce building raised pedestrian crossings from five, to two. But Councillor Ben McNulty refused to vote, saying he was uncomfortable playing the role of a transport engineer. He left the room as well as Nurreddin Abdurahman and Diane Calvert. Calvert says they didn't have enough information to make a decision, and she doesn't support any raised crossings. "We wanted to wait a couple of weeks until we could get that information - that was rejected." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's concerns from experts that new teacher training requirements will exacerbate workforce shortages. The Government's action plan includes teacher trainees needing to have achieved NCEA Level Two maths. Teacher Education Forum executive chair, Rosina Merry, says many enter the profession well after leaving school. She says the sector isn't against the Government working with the Teaching Council to increase entry requirements - but after some time and consultation. "We're not suggesting we put it off, we're suggesting slowing it down a little bit. The pace of change for teachers - and for the sector - is huge." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister has brushed off his faux pas yesterday, when he seemed to be taking a crack at Australians. Minister Paul Goldsmith was being questioned over removing Māori greetings from his Matariki invitation to an Australian Minister. In his defence, Chris Luxon said in his dealings with Australians, it pays to be incredibly simple. ZB political correspondent Barry Soper said the Government had bigger things to worry about on our shores. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian airline Qantas has slashed former CEO Alan Joyce's exit package, following a stint of costly scandals and legal cases. The $21.4m payout Joyce was due to get after leaving the company last year will be cut by $9.26m, the company told investors. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says this follows a rough business period for the airline. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Energy Minister says rising power costs are because of low supply. Heavy business users have warned spiking prices threaten their viability - including timber mills facing possible closure. The Electricity Authority and Commerce Commission has been asked to look at whether power companies are price gouging. The Government is also looking to import more liquefied natural gas. Simeon Brown says the last Government's ban on gas exploration was detrimental. "The key thing is that we have a shortage of energy - and that is what is driving this situation."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kiwi Kayakers Max Brown and Grant Clancy are coping well with the controversy of them competing in the canoeing pair event at the Olympic Games. The duo finished distant last in their heat and quarterfinal in Paris after they were forced to compete in the kneel-down canoeing C2 500 - which was qualified so they could compete in the K4 500 event. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further.  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Children's Minister has set out five new reporting instructions for Oranga Tamariki going forward.  How the ministry is performing across these new criteria will be publicly reported every quarter starting from the 2024/2025 financial year. These include frequency of visits to children in care, timeliness around Reports of Concern, caregiver reports, complaint management and addressing youth offending. Minister Karen Chhour says data from the Independent Children's Monitor says the ministry has failed to meet these standards. "I'm going to make sure we get these quarterly reports, so we can see it in real time and actually make sure we're improving things." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.