Larry Williams Drive

Bluebridge's new ferry arrived in Wellington this morning, drawing in the crowds at Oriental Bay. The Livia is from Denmark - and it can hold more than 400 passengers, with a 10 percent increase in vehicle capacity. Strait NZ CEO Shane McMahon says the vessel will come into service at the end of the month - and it's an 'exciting' development. "We've invested well over $200 million in the new fleet over the last three years, and we're doing that because obviously, we want to be able to supply safe, reliable services." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A criminal defence lawyer isn't sure changing trespassing laws will significantly impact retail crime.  The Justice Minister's latest law and order proposal would double maximum fines for trespassing on businesses.  It will also let owners ban people from multiple sites - and for longer.  John Munro says the move, alongside an earlier announcement on harsher moves against shoplifting, won't make much difference. "Most of those sorts of people, I would think, don't have much money in the first place to end up paying a fine - does it really deter them?" LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's plenty of surprises in the first All Blacks team of 2025 for Saturday's rugby test opener against France in Dunedin. The side to tackle France in Dunedin this Saturday features four debutants and three major positional changes. All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen says this will be a proud moment for the players ahead of the match. "What we've selected is a team we feel will allow us to play the game we need this weekend, and included in that is four debutantes. So we're really excited for them and the opportunity in front of us." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A promise the Government's focusing on delivery this quarter, as it gives itself a shorter list. The Prime Minister has released his Q3 action plan - laying out goals of repealing the oil and gas ban, banning prisoner voting, as well as passing changes to the RMA and looking into supermarket competition. This plan has 28 key points,10 less than the last one. NZ Herald political editor Thomas Coughlan unpacks the list further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Qantas says its operations and safety are unaffected by a major cyber hack of its systems, potentially impacting six million customers.  It's investigating the proportion of the data stolen, and expects it will be significant. Initial reviews show some customer names, emails, phone numbers, birth dates and frequent flyer numbers were stolen.  Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the airline has warned impacted customers to be mindful of incoming scams. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Coach Scott Robertson has unveiled his first All Blacks 23 of the year. Apart from positional changes for Reiko Ioane, Tupou Vaa'i and Ardie Savea, there are four uncapped players in the squad to take on France in Dunedin this Saturday. Sportstalk host Elliott Smith explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Building and Construction Minister is backing scaling back some insulation standards. The Government's called the changes 'common sense' - with building costs rising more than 40 percent since 2019. It's expected building code insulation requirements will be relaxed by the year's end. Chris Penk says they add huge costs. "Depending on where you are in the country or depending on what the conditions are or which way your house faces, you don't need all of that, you just need some of that. So as long as we can get to the same good overall result without being so prescriptive, then there's money to be saved and houses to be built." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Three former staffers at the hospital where British nurse Lucy Letby murdered seven babies and attempted to kill seven others have been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.  The trio worked on the senior leadership team at the Countess of Chester Hospital between 2015 and 2016. UK correspondent Gavin Grey explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2025 is halfway over - so how are the global markets holding up, and what can investors expect for the second half of the year? Several key markets have delivered decent returns so far, but Trump's 'Liberation Day' delivered a turbulent period. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.