Larry Williams Drive

Reports reveal ACC is planning to be more scrupulous when paying claims, as the Government pressures it to run a tighter ship. The state insurer has committed to “highly ambitious” targets around getting injured people rehabilitated and back to work quicker. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and former Auckland mayor Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Modern parents are sceptical of sleepovers as awareness of sexual harm rises. How do we square this circle? There is now a push for Auckland Council to ban private choppers in residential areas altogether following the ongoing Mowbray saga. Are people being too harsh about this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 2 July 2025, Donald Trump says Israel has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. International relations expert Stephen Hoadley has his doubts and says this is a very different situation to the war with Iran. The Government's chief victims adviser Ruth Money explains why she wants an end to jury trials in sexual assault cases. Relationship and parenting expert Jo Robertson says we used to be too loose with sleepovers and explains the test you should apply when deciding whether your kids should be allowed to stay somewhere overnight or not. The Herald's Thomas Coughlan responds to Labour's Chris Hipkins' claim that ramraids have vanished from the frontpage because of "NZME's tory owners". Plus, the Huddle debates whether we're being too harsh on rich people trying to crack down on their helicopter pads - or whether it's un-neighbourly to have one land at your house. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday eveni

This debate about Anna Mowbray and Ali Williams' helicopter has just got really, really silly in the last day. There is now a push for Auckland Council to ban private choppers in residential areas altogether when they next review the unitary plan for Auckland city, and at least 2 councillors now back that. And one of the councillors backing it is the councillor whose ward covers the Mowbray property. Now I'm sorry, but helicopters are a legitimate form of travel for people who can afford them. They are fast, they avoid traffic jams, and if that is what the Mowbray-Williams family want to use to make their lives easier so they can get from A to B as quickly as possible, all power to them. They can afford it. I feel sorry for the neighbours, I do. I have empathy. I wouldn't want to live next to a property with a chopper that was landing consistently, but nor would I want to live next to a property where the neighbour has a noisy motorbike. And yet - we're not banning noisy motorbik

Australian mining firm Santana Minerals has forecasted making $3.8 billion (NZD) in pre-tax profit off a proposed gold mine it hopes to open in Otago by 2027. The company believes it could get 1.25 million ounces of gold from the mine near Cromwell - and the profit is predicted to be significant if gold prices keep holding up. Santana Minerals CEO Damian Spring says this mine will come with dividends for New Zealand, in terms of royalties and jobs and services. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's been a noticeable increase in parents refusing to send their children to sleepovers in recent years. Many parents are worried about the potential harm that could come to their children under the watch of other families, with some refusing to let kids stay with close family members.  Therapist and parenting educator Jo Robertson says parents don't have to ban them outright, but it's important to be cautious. "There's a trend of kids at camps now where there's no adults in the room, it's only children in the room at school camps. And that's got its own challenges with it." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A defence lawyer says the outcome of the trial of Restore Passenger Rail protesters is 'strange'.  The Post reports six people have been allowed to withdraw their guilty pleas, and the judge tossed their charges.  It was over a series of Wellington protests that disrupted traffic.  Steve Cullen says it might be a case of the judge responding to a moral undercurrent.  "A certain proportion of the community felt that these people shouldn't have been convicted at all." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tauranga's mayor says the region wants certainty - as a deal with the Government inches closer. Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop's confirmed talks are progressing on 10-year Government partnerships for housing, developments, and assets. Auckland, Otago-Central Lakes district, and Western Bay of Plenty are the first areas. Tauranga's Mahe Drysdale says they want new tools to help with infrastructure. "So we can deliver the houses, we can deliver the infrastructure that's required to get those houses, we can deliver jobs and we can deliver the economic growth that the Government keeps talking about." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's unclear if a 60-day Gaza ceasefire is as achievable as Donald Trump's suggesting.  The US President is claiming Israel's agreed to the necessary conditions for a deal - and Qatar and Egypt will deliver it to Hamas. But internationals relations expert Stephen Hoadley says there's no word yet from Israeli or Hamas spokespeople. He says the fundamental clash remains - no matter what Trump says. "Hamas want Israel out of Gaza and Israel is not inclined to leave Gaza until Hamas is disarmed and all the hostages are returned." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour leader Chris Hipkins raised a few eyebrows after he offered his theory about why ram-raids don't get as much media coverage anymore. In an earlier interview on ZB's Wellington Mornings, Chris Hipkins claimed NZME's 'Tory owners' decided not to put ram-raids on the front page anymore - in order to put the National Party in a better light. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan says data shows ram-raids have dropped significantly over the last year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After hours of stalemate, Republicans in the US Senate narrowly passed President Donald Trump's latest bill on tax and spending. The 'big, beautiful' bill passed with Vice-President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote after over 24 hours of debate. US correspondent Charles Feldman says Elon Musk extensively criticised the bill, and he's recently threatened to support campaigns against Congress Republicans voting for it.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More top 10 seeds are out of the first round in an Open era tennis major than ever before at this year's Wimbledon - eight have exited in total. Four of the top men and four of the favoured women have departed, including French Open champion Coco Gauff. Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chief Victims Advisor says scrapping juries from sexual violence trials could result in more fact-based verdicts.  Ruth Money believes it would be better for survivors - in part because judges must give reasoning for their verdict. The idea's received some pushback, with one legal expert arguing jury trials are a foundation of the justice system.  Money says jurors enter a court with bias, and mightn't understand nuances of sexual assault.  "I've had survivors say to me - look, I was slammed around that courtroom like a tennis ball, I was rape-mythed, I was shamed, I was blamed." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People throughout Europe have been grappling with the first heatwaves of the Northern Hemisphere summer as increasing temperatures push thermometers into the red. Scientists have long warned that climate change comes with disastrous consequences for the environment, with  Europe’s ever-hotter summer heatwaves being a direct result. UK correspondent Enda Brady says Spain and Portugal had 'record-breaking' hot days yesterday - and people are concerned. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Meat plants across the nation are struggling to match low volumes of livestock coming through with staffing levels. New Zealand's national sheep flock and dairy herd have continued to decline in recent years, impacting the flow of livestock into meat works. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 1 July 2025, the Government's rolling out harsher punishments for theft, and new spot fines for shoplifters. Health professor Boyd Swinburn makes the case for why we should be funding weightloss drug Wegovy for those struggling with obesity. Some Youth MPs are complaining their speeches were censored - one of them joins Heather to explain what he wanted to say before it was vetoed. Plus, the Huddle debates why National is not pulling its weight and whether we'll miss Jaffas. 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, former Labour minister Stuart Nash and Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!  The Government has introduced some new measures to crack down on shoplifting - do we see these working?  Do we see the Government helping to fund Wegovy? The obesity crisis impacts a significant amount of Kiwis - but what about the costs? National have been talking about removing Treaty of Waitangi references and removing special treatment for certain ethnicities, but ACT and NZ First have criticised the party for not following through. What do we make of this? Jaffas are being discontinued - will we all miss them? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A nurse who needed a double hip replacement faced a lengthy wait or an $80,000 bill for the operation, and she eventually went overseas to find a solution. She had robotic surgery in India - which set her back $20,000. Claire Olsen says it was 'world-class' and pointed out that New Zealand's own healthcare system was 'third-world' by comparison.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

More details about infrastructure in Wellington and Picton in Government plans for new Cook Strait ferries. CentrePort, Port Marlborough, and KiwiRail have agreed a plan to re-use and strengthen the Wellington wharf servicing Interislander's Aratere - and to re-use terminals both sides of the Strait. Minister for Rail Winston Peters says the Government won't consider privatisation - and he's just looking to make sure Kiwis stay informed. "We're not about to make the same mistake a second time." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's growing claims of Youth Parliament censorship.  Some young people say they've been told their speeches can't be critical of the Government. But organisers say although changes are sometimes suggested - Youth MPs make the final call on speech content. Nate Wilbourne is part of the Youth Parliament and says it feels like a mandate.  He says he was sent an edited version of his speech that cut most of it, but he's sticking with the original. "I'm here to give my voice on what I care about and what my community back in Brightwater and my electorate care about." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.