Larry Williams Drive

Today on the Sports Huddle Heather was joined by Sports Commentators Nicky Styris and Jim Kayes too look at some of the stories coming out of the Olympics.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The knives appear to be out for Auckland Transport.  Wayne Brown's putting forward a proposal to strip AT of its policymaking functions and have elected representatives control it.  It also includes plans to abolish the council’s development agency and its events and economic development agency.  He'll need the backing of councillors, and in the case of AT's control, a law change.  Brown told Heather du Plessis-Allan that he’s sick of being blamed for things he doesn’t control.  He said that AT has had 12 years of complete independence to the point where the council almost seems to be more of a nuisance than an owner, and they’re not listening as much as he’d like.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 9 August 2024, Pan Pac Managing Director Tony Clifford explains why sky-high electricity prices have meant he's had to stop Hawkes Bay's paper pulp mill.  Christchurch City Councillor Tim Scandrett reacts to news that the Christ Church Cathedral is set to be mothballed as it's run out of money.  Turns out the Olympic medals are not what they used to be – with one athlete complaining his new Bronze medal has suffered a lot of wear and tear after just a week.  Plus, the Huddle debates whether the Paris Olympics will be remembered as a bit of a shambles.    Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This year’s Olympic medals don’t seem to be up to standard.  A US Olympic skateboarder has criticised the quality of his bronze medal after it began to deteriorate only a week after he won it.  The backside of the medal is chipped, and it’s already losing its bronze colour.  Former Olympian Ian Ferguson told Heather du Plessis-Allan that his are 40 years old and look exactly the same as the day they were made.   He said that they were made differently at the time, solid silver and gold plated, with a decent coating of gold on them.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nicola Willis has made the right call to not give any more taxpayer money to the Christ Church Cathedral rebuild.  It’s tough call. It's got consequences, as they’re saying, it looks like the Cathedral night be mothballed because they can’t figure out how else to raise the money.   But frankly, the country can’t afford to give them another $60 million.   We're living on our credit card. We’ve already stumped up $25 million, and let’s remember, this is privately-owned church. It's owned by the Anglicans. It’s not like we’re helping to build something that belongs to us, it belongs to the Anglicans, and they are reportedly sitting on about $2.9b worth of assets at last count.  To be fair to them, they didn't want to rebuild the cathedral but were forced into it by public opinion, but they are the ones who stand to benefit from the rebuild.  I don't want to appear to be callous about a place that is very important to Christchurch, but Christchurch, can I point out, has had a lot of taxpayer assistance, quite rig

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.