Larry Williams Drive

Some airports are handling cyber chaos better than others, as technical issues at major European airports continue for a third day. Dozens of flights are being delayed or cancelled across Dublin, Berlin, Brussels and at London's Heathrow. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says airlines have been forced to use paper and pen to help check people in. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week's GDP data prompted disappointment from many - but how did the markets react? GDP figures show a worse dip in the economy than economists and the Reserve Bank expected, with a fall of 0.9 percent in the June quarter. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genesis Energy has struck a two-year deal with New Zealand mining company BT Mining to supply 240,000 tonnes of coal to its Huntly Power Station. The deal equates to BT Mining providing 10,000 tonnes of coal a month to Huntly, which supports the hydro-dominated electricity system. BT Mining chief executive Richard Tacon explained how this deal will boost the local economy. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! The Government's under pressure over the economy and has today announced almost half a billion dollars of school infrastructure spending. Will this move the dial?  The UK, Canada and Australia have all recognised Palestine overnight. When do we think New Zealand will move forward on this? How many speed bumps is too many? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 22 September 2025, Australia, the UK and Canada have officially recognised the state of Palestine... but New Zealand is holding out. What are we waiting for? Finance Minister Nicola Willis defends the Government's spend on infrastructure projects and the state of the economy - after more than $400 million of school infrastructure spend is being fast-tracked. Another bloody strike! 13,000 hospital appointments have been cancelled because senior doctors are off work for the next two days. The staggering amount overseas gamblers are betting on our local football league - and why that's making players vulnerable to match fixing offers. Plus, the Huddle debates the Government's desperate fight to win the narrative on the economy back. 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.

So fast track has a problem - it's not fast enough. Eight months in, only two projects have been approved. The mining in Taranaki is still undergoing consultation. AKA: delayed. The word is that every man and his dog is lining up to have their say, including Mount Taranaki - literally. How you ask a mountain its thoughts and feelings is beyond me, but are we even surprised anymore? Shane Jones is miffed because the EPA, which is looking into all this, has apparently hired a former Forest and Bird lawyer - and all this while we've got $850m in minerals just sitting there. Now, all of this could have been avoided if the Government didn’t cave to the media and the legal scholars and the green mafia, and just give politicians all the power to override whatever they want. So the delays and the consultation are by design. And in Auckland, you’ve got Eden Park. Eden Park, they tell us, is choking under regulation. So why not use your new RMA superpowers to unshackle it? You can’t. You have to consult first

Nicola Willis says there's been a clear message to all ministers - we don't want the billions recently allocated for infrastructure sitting in Government bank accounts. A small scale hospital project announcement yesterday and a school property maintenance announcement today have both talked up the boost they'll give the construction sector in the coming 12 months. The Finance Minister says they want signed contracts, spades in the ground, and jobs. "The instruction to all Government ministers has been - make sure you know where your maintenance contracts are at, where those construction projects are at, to get them out the door." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's national football league has attracted the attention of offshore gamblers, raising alarm among sport integrity experts. New data shows  $212 million was wagered on the New Zealand men's domestic football league in 2024 through overseas sports betting platforms, many of which were based in Asia. Andrew Scott-Howman, general counsel for the New Zealand Professional Footballers Association, says our timezone allows us to be a monopoly provider of live product to these markets. "But also, the amateur nature of our competition - our players and our match officials, our referees don't get paid for playing. Therefore, they can be much easier to bribe or convince to do the wrong thing. That's also a problem." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The senior doctor's union is criticising Health New Zealand's decision to call in the Employment Relations Authority to sort out pay talks. Around 6000 doctors and dentists are walking off the job nationwide tomorrow and Wednesday. The ERA's been requested to fix the terms and conditions of a collective agreement - in a move unprecedented for the public sector. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists Executive Director Sarah Dalton says they've done some work with the ERA in the past. "We were not happy with the way the ERA authority members applied themselves to the task, and we didn't find them to take an independent view." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's more funding for schools to do jobs like painting and fixing gutters as part of a $413-million-dollar package in accelerated Government investment. Education Minister Erica Stanford says the funding will enable more maintenance to be done these summer holidays. She says $58 million of new money will be available to schools as of now. "Every single school up and down the country is going to be getting a 50 percent top up on their school property maintenance grant."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One expert has offered clarification around what recognising Palestine as a state means, ahead of New Zealand's decision.  Canada, the UK, and Australia have now formally recognised an independent Palestinian state. Winston Peters is in New York for the UN General Assembly and will reveal New Zealand's position later this week. Australia National University lecturer, Dr Anas Iqtait, says this means recognising a hypothetical Palestinian state - which would occupy the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.  "This symbolic nature is really related to this reality, rather than the other point - which is, there isn't currently sovereignty on the ground, it's a hypothetical state." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand's yet to finalise its position on recognising Palestine, despite recent moves by our key allies. Chris Luxon says Cabinet's expected to make a final decision later this week. Three of the Five Eyes members - Australia, the UK and Canada - have formally announced recognition of an independent state of Palestine. Newstalk ZB reporter Azaria Howell says it's expected the coalition will come together to make a statement, and Winston Peters will likely deliver it by Sunday. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia's joined the UK, Canada and others in recognising Palestinian statehood. Anthony Albanese says unified recognition is important - and three of the Five Eyes nations have now declared their stance. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says Albanese has confirmed this recognition comes with conditions - including that Hamas will not govern Gaza again and that Palestine will recognise Israel's right to peace and security. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Formula One driver Liam Lawson continues to rev in the right direction. He's finished a career-best fifth at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Red Bull's Max Verstappen claimed victory. Lawson's 10 points move him from 15th to 13th in the standings. Sportstalk host Jason Pine recapped the win further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There'll be no need to carry a physical drivers' licence with the Government's plan for digital alternatives. Digital Services Minister Judith Collins wants to introduce an app that could store the data, and New South Wales has already rolled out a similar service. Tech commentator Paul Spain says the system will need to be robust to protect data. "What we've seen from Governments all around the world is the more data they collect, the more data that they end up losing and leaking." The digital licences could be introduced before the end of the year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 19 September. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How is it that we are having a conversation today about whether Nicola Willis needs to quit her portfolio because of yesterday's shock GDP number? This is crazy.  What happened yesterday is not Nicola Willis's fault. It is the Reserve Bank's fault. It is not a matter of opinion. It is a fact. The Reserve Bank ratcheted up the official cash rate to slow down the economy and engineer a recession, to quote Adrian Orr. It's what he wanted to do. It is what he has actually done successfully. We now have had an enormous recession, and we are struggling to come out of that. That is not Nicola Willis's fault. Now, sure, I can lay some blame at Nicola Willis's feet. I can blame Nicola Willis for not doing enough to fix the state of the government's books.Probably not doing enough to get rundown places like Auckland Central going again, but that GDP number, that is fair and square, largely the Reserve Bank's problem, so she should not quit over what happened yesterday. However, I am prepared to admit that the

China's economy continues to slow down after months of decline, and retail sales and industrial production are at their lowest levels of the year.  Falling property prices are also to blame, with house prices in Beijing down 19% from last year.  Asia business correspondent Peter Lewis says that despite this downturn and the trade war with the US, China's exports have kept at a steady level.  He said that Xi Jinping's focus on expanding markets independent of the US is helping keep the economy moving. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada is the last obstacle between the Black Ferns and the Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham. The teams will clash tomorrow morning for the third time in the past 16 months.  Former Black Fern Steph Te Ohaere-Fox told Heather duPlessis-Allan that she believes the Black Ferns' record will help the team prevail.  'We've got the mental edge, because we've made it through the finals and won the finals heaps of times.' LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on the Huddle: Sports commentator Andrew Gordon and One News sports reporter Kate Wells join Heather duPlessis-Allan to discuss the latest sports news.  The Black Ferns have made it to the semi finals of the Rugby World Cup, can they go all the way? Big congratulations are in order for Geordie Beamish who takes steeplechase gold, and what's happening with the Silver Ferns' rotating captains? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.