Larry Williams Drive

An invasive spider with a nasty bite is spreading its population across New Zealand - prompting warnings from experts. The noble false widow spider has been spotted in Christchurch, Nelson, Northland and Waikato. Massey University evolutionary ecology professor, Steven Trewick, says their bite is unlikely to kill you - but it's harmful if left untreated. "Like most spiders, they're not going to bite you because they're not interested in you...but they do have some toxins that are similar to the toxins black widows and redbacks have." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's expectations weight-loss drug Wegovy will eventually be funded publicly, according to experts. It's become available from pharmacies under prescription - from today. It's not funded by Pharmac, and costs about $500 dollars per month.  Auckland University population nutrition professor, Boyd Swinburn, says that is unaffordable for the public purse. "When the first generation of these drugs come off patent, their price will drop enormously and that will give Pharmac a chance to really negotiate the price." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's another tool in the police toolbox for cracking down on crime. A retail crime prevention advocate says he's happy with proposed law sentencing changes. The Government's confirmed new proposals to increase penalties for shoplifting - including infringement fees, a new 'aggravated theft' offence, and prison sentences. Ministerial Retail Crime Advisory Group lead Sunny Kaushal says we need to create deterrents - and he wants it to be easier for police to prosecute shoplifters. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis has announced that former acting Reserve Bank Governor Grant Spencer has been appointed to the central bank’s board. Spencer retired from the Reserve Bank in 2018, after he was deputy Governor and head of financial stability from 2007 to 2017. He was acting Governor over the six months to March 2018. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacks what Nicola Willis is indirectly saying through this announcement.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lulu Sun’s return to Wimbledon after a remarkable run 12 months ago has been brief, knocked out this morning in the opening round. The Kiwi world number 47 fell in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 to Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic, Sun’s fourth straight first-round exit at a grand slam. Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A 26-year-old Melbourne childcare worker is facing 70 charges relating to eight pre-schoolers aged between five months and two years.  Joshua Brown's worked across 20 centres since 2017 - and is accused of sexual assault and producing child abuse material. The parents of 1200 children who'd been in his care have been advised to screen them for infectious diseases. Australian correspondent Murray Olds says authorities are warning the parents to get their children tested - and treated. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From today, Wegovy is available on our shelves so you can get skinny like Oprah, if you want. But it'll cost you - $500 per month. Which is unaffordable for most people, prompting a debate over whether the Government should fund it to reduce obesity and safe money on obesity-related illnesses and injuries. Now on principle, this is the kind of thing I'm a fan of - a bit of money upfront to save lots of money later. But unfortunately, as it stands, this wouldn't be an example of saving money. If we were funding Wegovy like they do in the UK, we'd fund it for people with a BMI over 30. In New Zealand, that is a staggering 1.5 million adults, apparently. If every one of those adults cost $500 per month, that would cost $7.5 billion per year - but it would only save $2 billion a year in obesity-related healthcare costs. Now, that's only measuring health costs directly related to obesity. As we know, carrying too much weight makes you prone to illness, which means you take more days off work, making you less produ

A new investigation into the Christchurch Mosque shooting delves into the shooter's motivations - and questions whether he should be identified as a 'lone wolf'. In the six-part podcast, Secrets We Keep: Lone Actor, investigative journalist Joey Watson traces the killer's descent into extremism and wonders if he truly acted alone after being radicalised by online communities. Watson explained that he went through the online communities that radicalised the shooter and saw how he was desensitised to violent acts. "The closer I looked at it, the more I came to see that based on how these ecosystems operated before the attack, what happened in Christchurch - it certainly wasn't inevitable, but it's tragically explainable." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

UK authorities have confirmed they plan to assess comments made by some controversial artists at the Glastonbury Festival. English punk duo Bob Vylan and Irish group Kneecap performed controversial sets at the famed festival - criticising Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Israeli Defence Force. UK correspondent Gavin Grey says the organisers of the festival were 'appalled' by these - and it's likely investigations will continue.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Canada recently scrapped its digital services tax targeting US technology firms - just hours before it was due to take effect.  Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and US President Donald Trump are set to re-open trade talks in order to agree on a deal by July 21, according to Canada's finance ministry. Harbour Asset Management's Shane Solly explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strategic Pay's latest Directors' Fees Survey has uncovered an unexpected trend in the nation's private sector boardrooms. The data shows women are out-earning their male counterparts - despite still being somewhat under-represented. Strategic Pay managing director Cathy Hendry says this is 'surprising' - but it's still good to see. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 30 June 2025, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith explains why he's making coward punches a new offence with tougher penalties. Rental homes have to follow healthy homes rules by tomorrow - but many many don't comply. Heather asks Andrew Eagles from the Green Building Council whether the rules are simply too tough. Finance Minister Nicola Willis reveals what changes she's making to FamilyBoost to make sure more people are eligible. An etiquette expert weighs in on our worst ever phone manners. Plus, the Huddle chew over the crazy consent requirement hurdles Ikea had to jump over. 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, 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 Healthy Homes standards are set to kick in tomorrow - do we see the Government enforcing these?  The Government has recently released a string of new law and order announcements, the latest including tougher penalties for people who assault first responders and making 'coward punches' an offence. Do we agree with these changes?  Ikea's consent conditions included cultural monitoring, karakia and other cultural ceremonies with mana whenua among other things. What do we make of these measures?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone out there, hands up, who doesn't agree with the Justice Minister's plan to introduce harsher punishments for people who assault first responders? I feel like this is a complete no-brainer. I mean, there are some out there who would argue that no assault is acceptable at all and that if you create two tiers of punishment where you've got the police officers on one level and then the normal humans on another - what you're saying is that some assaults are more acceptable than others. And that's a fair argument to make, but I think reality has a role to play here, and the reality is different, isn't it? The reality is you and I, regular citizens, can just walk away if we see something happening, if we see there's somebody who needs a bit of help, but we can see it's not safe - we can just keep on going. First responders can't. For police and ambo workers in the fire service, it is their job to go into those situations that are often quite risky because people are upset or people have been substance ab

The Finance Minister says changes to the FamilyBoost scheme are on their way - after Cabinet made decisions today. The Government previously said it would announce changes to the childcare tax policy in June. It's been admitted the number of families initially thought eligible was wrong. Nicola Willis says there are two changes and they apply to fees incurred from tomorrow - with claims able to be made from October. "The first is to increase the amount of rebate, which will have the effect that people on lower middle incomes with lower rates of fees will be able to get a bigger rebate." Willis says the second is to reduce the abatement rate - so families earning more than 140-thousand dollars will be able to claim a bit more. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Government's slamming the requirement for builders of a new Ikea in Auckland - to consult with seven mana whenua groups. Consent for the Sylvia Park store requires iwi consultation around erosion, stormwater treatment, and planting.  ACT's Simon Court flagged the issue, and the Prime Minister's called it insane. RMA Reform Minister Chris Bishop says it's ridiculous - and why we can't have nice things in New Zealand. "And it's exactly the reason why we are ultimately repealing and replacing the RMA with new legislation. This is the red tape that gets in the way and drives up the costs." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transpower says recent electricity generation simulations should not trigger panic, over declining gas supply. Two of three tests show improvements, looking a decade ahead into how our systems will cope with demand. But the third - the winter energy margin - finds worsening conditions, year-on-year. Transpower's James Kilty says it's not a big deal. "The tests include a buffer, so the fact that we're dipping slightly below the buffer does not mean that there'll be electricity supply shortages next year." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New research has been conducted into our texting habits - and it's raised a few eyebrows. A survey by BNZ indicates New Zealanders were responding to notifications in a variety of awkward locations, with one third of respondents replying in the bathroom, 41 percent in the middle of face-to-face conversations and 28 percent while in meetings.  Etiquette expert Anna Musson says many of us are terrible at multitasking, and picking up a phone during a face-to-face exchange has unfortunate implications. "If you're in the company of another person, it is criminal to pick up your phone and suggest that the other person is less interesting or less important, even if it's true." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Justice Minister's confirmed the Government aims to send a clear message to offenders as part of the latest legislation.  The Government recently announced 'coward punches' will be treated as a new offence, giving offenders longer sentences. The reform makes good on a National and NZ First coalition promise. Paul Goldsmith says the Government's hoping to disincentivise these 'unacceptable' attacks.   "We're going to send a very strong message from Parliament to the judiciary - that we expect serious consequences for serious crime." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister is talking up our economic prospects - in challenging global times. He's just returned from meeting leaders in China and Europe, as mid-east tensions reached boiling point. Chris Luxon says we are throwing everything at boosting trade links so we can continue to grow. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan discussed further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.