Larry Williams Drive

One far-left French MP has attracted controversy after saying Israeli athletes were not welcome to the upcoming Olympics. With less than a week to go until the Games kick off, France Unbowed's Thomas Portes called for people to protest the appearance of Israeli athletes. UK correspondent Vincent McAviney says this has drawn in negative reactions from all sides. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Waikato-based sheep milk company has managed to gain brand registration for its infant milk formula in China. Spring Sheep will be able to directly import and distribute infant formula to China - and increase export volumes long-term. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains the significance of this deal. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert has voiced approval with the Commerce Commission's plan to regulate PayWave and online credit card fees. The watchdog says capped fees could save Kiwis $250 million dollars, from the $1 billion a year they spend in-store and online.  Infometrics Principal Economist Brad Olsen says these changes are neceesary. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Home ownership rates have dropped below 60 percent, and data indicates this figure could get lower. New research commissioned by Westpac says home ownership figures will fall as low as 50 percent by 2050. The bank has since pledged to lend $1 billion over the next three years to fund affordable housing. CEO Catherine McGrath says it's critical to ensure home ownership becomes available to more New Zealanders.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 23 July 2024, Commerce Commission chair John Small tells Heather why he wants to crack down on PayWave and credit card fees. Former Green MP Darleen Tana is back in Parliament - what's she saying about why she's decided to stay? Orana Park board member Ken Hughey defends the park's track on animal welfare. Plus the Huddle debates whether Chris Luxon is making a mistake by stopping some media interviews. 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 Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Commerce Commission is making moves to regulate PayWave fees and online card payments to ensure Kiwis don't get ripped off. Do we agree with this? How do we feel about PayWave? Darleen Tana has made her first appearance in Parliament following the investigation of her knowledge of alleged migrant exploitation at her husband's business. Why is she still hanging on? Do we think the Greens will resort to waka-jumping laws? Prime Minister Chris Luxon is under fire following his decision to cut one of his regular media opportunities on Tuesdays going forward. Has Luxon made the right call? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Details surrounding the Warehouse takeover offer have been revealed. Australian private equity firm Adamantem Capital Management has offered to buy the business for $1.50 to $1.70 a share, valuing it at a total of $590 million. Greg Smith from Devon Funds Management has labelled this move 'opportunistic' as the retail sector struggles. "They haven't even got a CEO - it does seem to be quite opportunistic, particularly if you've got a ray of light for the retail sector if we do get that rate cut from RBNZ."  LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Orana Wildlife Park says it told MPI about all its animal deaths, after claims of poor welfare standards.  More than 20 current and former staff have detailed multiple animal deaths to 1News, some which went unreported. MPI is doing a rapid assessment of the zoo's conditions - due back tomorrow - but say it wasn't told about any deaths. Board member Ken Hughey says all deaths were notified, and they've taken measures since. "Those sort of deaths, often with the benefit of hindsight, may be preventable. We absolutely accept that, and we learn as we go - we are a learning-based organisation." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealanders are being called to reclaim the official world record for the largest haka. It's currently held by 4028 men and women who performed it in France 10 years ago. The fundraising event for the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre aims to draw 10,000 people to Eden Park in September. Centre co-founder and event cultural ambassador, Hinewehi Mohi, says anyone can participate. She says they'll be providing instructional videos and doing practices beforehand so people can feel prepared. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you might have heard earlier, the Prime Minister is copping a bit of flak because he’s going to cut one of his regular media opportunities on Tuesdays from here on in.It's been a convention for years now that the Prime Minister stops on the way to Parliament’s Question Time on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday if he's there and he'll let the Press Gallery ask him questions. That's now going to stop on Tuesday.Now, the Press Gallery are trying to convince him to change his mind and they've gone public with it - and I suspect that's probably to put a bit of pressure on him.But I think they're going to struggle to get any sympathy on this, and I'll tell you why. Let me run you through his media appearances on weeks when Parliament is sitting: Monday afternoon at 4pm, he's at the Post-Cabinet press conference letting the Gallery ask him questions. Tuesday morning from 7am, he does a round of media interviews with Mike Hosking and other breakfast programmes across radio and TV.  Later on Tuesday morning, he stop

Compensation may be on the way for Northlanders affected by a massive power outage last month. Local MP Grant McCullum has been asking Transpower to compensate people with discounted transmission fees for a year. Nearly 100,000 people lost power when a tower toppled after maintenance crews unbolted three legs of a pylon at once. McCullum says Transpower acknowledged to him it owes the region. "We've just got to work out what that looks like. It would be fair to say that they made a suggestion, I made one, they were a bit further apart - but they're going to go back and talk to the board. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Commerce Commission is looking into regulating fees for PayWave and online card payments. The market watchdog says adding regulation could save Kiwis $250 million dollars, from the $1 billion a year they spend on fees in-store and online. Chair John Small says they're exploring changes that could reduce surcharges to 0.7 percent. "Part of what we're doing here is trying to simplify these rates so that the merchants know much more clearly what's costing them - and then that allows buyers to know that." LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Green Party gave Darleen Tana a cold reception as she returned to the House as an independent MP. Tana has been asked to resign from Parliament following the release of a review into alleged migrant exploitation at her husband's business. Newstalk ZB political editor Jason Walls says leader Chloe Swarbrick is looking into other options for Tana ahead of this weekend's AGM. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly 13 million Australians have had their medical data stolen and sold on the dark web, following a recent hack. Names, addresses, phone numbers and prescriptions were among the information stolen in a MediSecure hack in May. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the information is being sold for over $25,000. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Warriors are set to unveil their latest squad ahead of their weekend clash against the Tigers. There's speculation that key players like Shaun Johnson could return from injuries - but enthusiasm among fans is dwindling.  Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave says it's lucky the Olympics may distract viewers from a disappointing season. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many Kiwis are concerned the costs of being a parent have reached an unreasonable level. According to new research from Kiwibank, 70 percent of people believe the financial and child-care pressures on parents have gotten harder in the modern world. Kiwibank's Chief People Officer, Charlotte Ward, says people feel there's a 'penalty' that comes with choosing parenthood. "We know from phrases like 'the motherhood penalty' that this actually does disproportionately affect women. Also, 55 percent of people from the research agree there's a penalty in terms of career advancement opportunity."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With less than a week to go until the upcoming Paris Olympics, France has recalled a line of branded water bottles for children. The bottles were found to contain excessive levels of Bisphenol A, according to new reports. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says these chemicals have been linked to breast cancer and infertility.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's Minister for Food Safety doesn't approve of some proposed changes impacting the distribution of infant formula. Food Standards Australia New Zealand has written a lengthy proposal to overhaul formula regulations, including changes to how formula can be labelled and where it can be sold.  Ministers from Australia and New Zealand will meet this week to discuss the proposal - which will come into effect unless a review is called for. Minister Andrew Hoggard says he's not in favour of the suggested labelling requirement changes. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The US dollar and Treasuries are likely to see a knee-jerk bid higher after Joe Biden dropped his re-election bid. Investors will see this development as bringing a fresh level of uncertainty about the final outcome of the US elections. Shane Solly from Harbour Asset Management says this is definitely a spanner in the works. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 22 July 2024, Washington correspondent David Smith speaks with Heather after news that Joe Biden has pulled out of the presidential race and endorsed Kamala Harris instead. Health Minister Dr Shane Reti tells Heather why he's sacked the board of Health NZ and replaced it with a commissioner. Animal welfare staff from the Ministry for Primary Industries have been at Orana Park today after concerns of maltreatment. The Huddle debates whether Food Standards Australia New Zealand is crazy to propose a crackdown on infant formula rules - the consensus of six boobs is yes! 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.