Larry Williams Drive

I think what many of us are experiencing right now, re: Jacinda, Grant, Chippy and Ayesha not fronting publicly for the COVID inquiry is not disappointment, because disappointment requires us to have had a higher expectation of them. And I don't think that we did, because I think we got the measure of these people a long time ago. I think what we're experiencing right now is a sense of injustice, because these people had the power, and they used that power to do things to our lives that no other politicians in the history of this country have done. They told us not to leave our homes, they shut the border so that we couldn't leave the country or come back in. They ended some businesses through their rules, they effectively forced people out of jobs for not taking a vaccine that I would say most of us don't even bother with now. Now, we can argue about whether any of that or all of that was justified, but I don't think we can argue about how massive that was. It was huge, unprecedented power. Now, with po

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 14 August 2025, should the Royal Commission into Covid reconsider summonsing ex-Ministers Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins and co? Constitutional lawyer Graeme Edgeler reveals what he thinks could happen next. Israel's deputy foreign Minister Sharren Haskel speaks to Heather about Chris Luxon's call that Netanyahu has 'lost the plot'. Police Minister Mark Mitchell and Heather speak about the future of armed police officers after police shot two people overnight, one of them died. The overseas-born Kiwi dad on the bureaucratic nightmare getting his kids citizenship - and why he thinks those with Maori ancestry should be fast-tracked. Plus, the Huddle reacts to the Israeli foreign Minister - and are teachers losing the room with their strike next week? 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.

There's no shortage of stories where customers go crazy for free giveaways at the supermarket - and one expert has revealed why this is the case. Between coffee shops offering a free drink after you've bought 10 or beauty retailers handing out samples if you spend enough, research has explained this is all another marketing trick to hook people in. University of Canterbury marketing professor Ekant Veer says people like to feel like they've won things, especially if they're free. "We feel like we're getting rewarded for our loyalty or rewarded for our good behaviour, and then it's going to work for us. We're going to get that little dopamine hit."  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister's steadfast in condemning Prime Minister Luxon for saying her leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, has lost the plot over Gaza.  Chris Luxon made the comment yesterday and says he's voicing a global sentiment. Sharren Haskel posted saying New Zealand's worst enemies are cats and possums, so it can't understand the threat from Hamas. Today, she says she stands with Netanyahu on Gaza - and it's the UN that's failed.  "And no matter how much we've been trying to work together, the Secretary General of the UN will turn it into a political issue." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister says he'd never second-guess an officer's actions during a police incident.  Multiple investigations are taking place after an officer shot two people after a domestic dispute. An officer shot a man carrying a hunting knife, with fears he'd seriously injure a woman. The officer then shot the woman dead, when she threatened officers.   Mark Mitchell says he feels for the officer.  "My thoughts go out to those police officers and their families, they have my full support. It is a police officer's worst nightmare to be placed into a situation like that." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A constitutional lawyer says the Royal Commission of Inquiry has the power to summons ex-ministers to front for its Covid enquiry.  It's called off its second week of hearings after Chris Hipkins, Dame Jacinda Ardern, Grant Robertson, and Ayesha Verrall declined to appear.  It says it shouldn't diminish the inquiry - as all have privately given evidence. Lawyer Graeme Edgeler says the Commission just needs to consider if it'll miss out on key information without a summons. "If the answer to that was yes, then they should exercise it. They seem to think at the moment that they don't need need to have the summons, but it's something they have in their back pocket." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Luxon is defending saying Israel's leader has 'lost the plot' in the face of pushback. The Prime Minister criticised Benjamin Netanyahu over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where people are starving. Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister responded that Luxon can't comprehend the challenges of facing Hamas. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says Luxon's put his own views out there - in a change of pace from factoring in Winston Peters and David Seymour.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese has hit back against Hamas propaganda' after the Islamist group put out statements overnight welcoming his pledge to recognise Palestinian statehood. Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef claimed he welcomed the 'political courage' of the Australian Labor Government in an earlier statement. Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says this situation has prompted additional concerns. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Silver Fern Maddy Gordon has revealed the ANZ Premiership's uncertain future played a major role in her decision to leave the Central Pulse after seven years and three titles. The 29-test midcourter's joining the Queensland Firebirds in next year's Super Netball in Australia, following teammate Kelly Jackson. Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He’s descended from a Treaty signatory, an All Black and the ‘Voice of New Zealand’, but John Bryers Ruddock can't get his kids New Zealand citizenship - so he's taking legal action. John himself was born overseas and was dismayed to discover there was no easy way to secure Kiwi citizenship for his US-born children, in part because he was born offshore. He says it would have been easier to get approved if he was coming in as a migrant - and it feels 'unconstitutional'. "Because I'm not on a visa or applying for a visa myself, they all get charged individually. So normally, say, if I had 20 kids and I was here on a visa or applying for my residence visa, it would cost me $3200 for being all my dependent children. But because I'm a citizen and not on a visa, they charge them individually." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The number of migrants to cross the English Channel in small boats since the Labour party came to power 13 months ago is expected to have reached 50,000.  The Government says it’s an 'unacceptable number of people' but pointed to the 'one in, one out' returns deal with France as a deterrent. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says opposition MPs have been quick to accuse the Government of 'surrendering the borders'. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Reserve Bank is moving to cut 20 percent of its staff in a bid to unwind the hiring spree by former Governor Adrian Orr. The restructure will see the net reduction on 142 roles, including 35 vacant positions. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson have all declined to be interviewed publicly by the Covid inquiry. Should they have fronted? Did Chlöe Swarbrick deserve to get booted out of Parliament today? Should she have apologised? What did we make of Debbie Ngarewa-Packer dropping the C-word in Parliament?  The Education Minister is cutting Māori words from five-year-olds' school phonics books. Is this a bad look? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

US inflation held steady in July, with consumer prices rising 2.7 percent - depite the ongoing concerns around import tariffs. Figures are better than economists feared, but underlying pressures make the Federal Reserve's next move unclear. Milford Asset Management's Michael Luke explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Unionised secondary teachers who say kids' needs aren't being met in school will strike next week, nationwide. They'll step away from the job next Wednesday after rejecting a three percent pay increase over three years. The PPTA says experienced teachers will be crucial to successfully rolling out proposed Government NCEA reforms. President Chris Abercrombie says the teachers introduced a counter-offer, but it's up to the Government to do their part. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I can't blame you if your assessment of Parliament today is that it's become a circus, because what happened today is kind of hard to defend or even explain. Chlöe was kicked out, Brownlee suspended her for a week and all of the Government parties voted for that punishment - and that includes New Zealand First, before Winston Peters then got up to tell Jerry Brownlee that the punishment wasn't fair, even though he just voted for the punishment. And then Debbie got up and said the C-word again. Now, Chlöe did actually break the rules. I mean, this is another one of those seemingly arbitrary or hard to explain rules in Parliament - that MPs can't accuse each other of being cowards. Nick Smith did it in 2003, he accused MPs across the house of not having the spine to debate a vote. He withdrew and apologized. Steve Chadwick did it in 2007, she accused the opposition of being absolutely gutless and spineless. She withdrew and apologized. John Key did it in 2015, quite famously when he yelled at Lab

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 13 August 2025, Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins and other former Labour Ministers have declined to give evidence at a public Covid inquiry. National's Chris Bishop says it's "disgraceful". Drama in Parliament, with Greens co-leader Chloe Swarbrick kicked out of the House for the second day in a row. Former Speaker Sir David Carter says Gerry Brownlee is right to crack down on MPs misbehaving. Bad news if you have kids at secondary school. Teachers are going on strike next Wednesday and PPTA president Chris Abercrombie tells Heather just how big a payrise they're after. Kiwi woman Sarah Shaw is still in a US detention centre with her 6-year old. Her lawyer speaks to Heather. Plus, the Huddle debates whether Chloe Swarbrick deserved her suspensions - and whether the ex-ministers should front up to the Covid inquiry. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Education Minister Erica Stanford has received some backlash by excluding most Māori words from five-year-olds' school phonics books. A Ministry of Education report shows Stanford decided to exclude all Māori kupu - except characters' names - last year, out of concern it would confuse children. Canterbury University's professor Gail Gillon helped develop the phonics readers. She says confusion doesn't appear to be an issue.  "The evidence that we have would suggest that our five-year-old children are coping very well with the inclusion of just a few kupu Māori in these early readers." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand Embassy staff have made contact with Sarah Shaw - the Kiwi woman being detained along with her son at a US immigration facility. The pair were detained on the Canadian border three weeks ago. Shaw's lawyer Minda Thorward says she's using every legal process she can to get the pair out - but it's ultimately up to DHS. "We're hoping that they're just going to release her and her son later this week - although they may still remain in proceedings. But we're still just waiting to find out what's going to happen." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Current and former Labour leaders and ministers deciding not to appear at the Royal Commission's Covid inquiry is being described as 'disgraceful'.  Jacinda Ardern, Chris Hipkins, Grant Robertson and Ayesha Verrall, who were all involved in Covid decisions - have declined invitations to appear.  They say it would have been performative - not informative - and there's a risk livestream recordings could be manipulated and misused.  National MP Chris Bishop says they should front up because New Zealanders deserve answers over the scale of Covid spending, which is still having impacts. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.