Larry Williams Drive

Trevor Mallard has been absent from Parliament for the third day in a row.Mallard was meeting with the US Ambassador, but meanwhile National MP Chris Bishop was publically planning a coup against the under fire Speaker.Mallard is also copping criticism for going to Europe along with a group of MPs from every other political party except Act.Act Deputy Leader Brooke van Valden said it’s an expensive junket that serves no purpose, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern backs the tour.A new poll suggests that Kiwis want tax cuts in the upcoming Budget.A Newshub-Reid poll suggested that 69 percent of Kiwis wanted a tax cut, but 48 percent of Labour voters also want the cuts.Newstalk ZB Chief Political Reporter Jason Walls joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nadia Lim isn't sweating the small stuff after a Kiwi richlister brought up her attire and race in an interview.DGL Group CEO Simon Henry claimed in an NBR interview that things including Lim's appearance, could explain why his business has outperformed hers on the NZX and ASX.Simplicity and Kiwi Wealth have chucked DGL Group on its exclusion list.Lim told Heather du Plessis-Allan his comments were offensive.“I’ve got the privilege to be able to stick up for those people that don’t have voice, who probably also say these types of comments, and probably on a much, much, much, much, much, much more frequent basis than I.”Lim says she's speaking up for people out there who feel they don't have a voice.“And you know, there’s so many great, hard-working people who contribute so much and yet they put up with that type of thing all the time, so that’s why I decided, you know what? Actually, this is not cool.”LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anthony Albanese has stumbled over details of one of his party’s major policies before an adviser handed him notes in the middle of a press conference.The Opposition Leader – who on the first day of the campaign came under fire for not knowing the unemployment figure and official cash rate – faced a barrage of questions in Sydney on Thursday over Labor’s National Disability Insurance Scheme policy.Instead of providing a clear answer about the six parts of the plan, Mr Albanese stuttered, saying what Labor would do “was outlined by Bill Shorten”.“But Mr Albanese, what are the six points?” he was asked.He stuttered again before responding: “We will put people at the centre of the NDIS”.Journalists threw further questions about it, including “what is the policy?” and “do you not know what it is?” which he dodged until towards the end of the press conference.After being handed the policy on a piece of paper by an adviser, he looked down at his notes and detailed the six points.Another journalist went on to call h

Kiwis could save more than $3000 a year on food by prioritising budget over brand.Branding expert Jill Brinsdon told Heather du Plessis-Allan New Zealanders are not unique in their preference for bigger brands.“Any form of marketing that builds a brand’s reputation is there really just to try and layer up that sense of trust you have.”The biggest savings could be made on products like instant coffee and olive oil.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is fresh evidence in the Madeleine McCann case. BP's profits for the first three months of this year have more than doubled after oil and gas prices soared.  A Police and Crime Commissioner in the UK who pledged to crack down on speeding was caught.... speeding. UK correspondent Gavin Grey joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Business New Zealand has today launched a campaign to stop the government from implementing fair pay agreements. In an opinion piece in the Herald today, Kirk Hope said employers and employees will lose control over the way they work calling it "not fair". Kirk joins Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Well known biscuit and cracker maker Arnott's is returning some of its production to NZ after 25 years away.  The company announced it is building a new multi-million-dollar factory in West Auckland. It will ramp up production of high-end crackers that run under the 180 Degrees brand for sale in both NZ and Australia. Mike Cullerne, Arnott's Group NZ lead joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The unemployment rate remains unchanged at 3.2% and wage growth is accelerating but is still well below inflation. Gareth Kiernan from Infometrics joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up to now, because he’s a beginner, Luxon’s been given a relatively easy run on little slip ups and own goals. But I suspect that’s going to start changing. Three polls now, including last night’s, have put National in the lead. Which means Luxon is now a possible or probable winner at the next election. And he’s going to start facing the kind of scrutiny that comes with being a possible or probable Prime Minister. I suspect the runway for making mistakes is running out perhaps faster than he might think. I'm not suggesting voters will be harsh.  Clearly, they're being anything but, because despite a string of mistakes recently like calling for a public holiday to be cut to swap out for Matariki and getting confused on public transport subsidies, he went up more than 6% in the preferred Prime Minister poll last night. But the thing he won’t get away with is not knowing his mind or sounding like he doesn’t know his mind. There's too much of that lately. The most obvious example is Luxon trying his hardest to a

First, he dished them out, then he's taken some back... Trevor Mallard's trespass notices have landed the Speaker in hot water. It's led to outrage from around the traps. Including Alastair Boyce, owner of the Backbencher Pub. Alastair Boyce joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's a bit of uproar over some comments by an NZ business leader... CEO of DGL group Simon Henry.  Henry was interviewed by the NBR and was disparaging about My Food Bag's IPO last year when he said this: "I can tell you, and you can quote me, when you've got Nadia Lim, when you've got a little bit of Eurasian fluff in the middle of your prospectus with a blouse unbuttoned showing some cleavage, and that's what it takes to sell your script, then you know you're in trouble." Cecilia Robinson, co-founder of My Food Bag, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are warnings that we could see more construction companies collapse because of high costs and a lack of skilled labour. Trevor Mallard's backdown took just 24 hours... but how much damage has he done and should the PM sack him? Auckland Transport is looking to spend 2 billion dollars on cycleways over the next ten years... they're looking to get rid of carparks for teachers and get teachers to teach kids how to cycle, is this futureproofing or crazy? Simon Bridges is holding his valedictory speech in Parliament tonight – Christopher Luxon is soaring in the polls.. but he still seems like a rookie in many areas. What do you make of his leadership so far?  Ali Jones, Christchurch Community Board member and PR consultant at Red PR, and Trish SHerson, Sherson Willis PR, joined Heather du Plessis-Allan for the Huddle. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Construction Minister says she's working hard to fill skill shortages in the sector.  There's an estimated gap of more than 200 thousand construction workers. Poto Williams says the government will be making changes to immigration settings to favour them.  She told Heather du Plessis-Allan the government has other measures in place. “We have 43,000 apprentices in New Zealand in apprenticeship schemes and we’ve got the apprentice boost program as well to support employers.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who has checked their Kiwisaver account recently will be aware that returns have slowed down somewhat recently, with losses across funds from conservative to growth.To provide an insight into what’s going on in the investment world at the moment, Mark Riggall from Wilford Asset Management joined Heather du Plessis-Allan.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An educator thinks removing teachers' carparks wouldn't be popular.  An Auckland cycling plan includes such ideas as mandatory bike training in schools and limiting staff parks. It's also understood to include public subsidies to help people buy bikes .... and abolishing company car tax deductions. Secondary Principals Association President Vaughan Couillault told Heather du Plessis Allan it's not clear why the parks would need to go. “I’m not quite sure the population of teachers in the country is significant enough to make a real dent in our carbon footprint to be fair.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Health Minister says private hospitals want to help slash dire hospital waiting lists – but it's unclear what capacity they have.  Andrew Little's today unveiled a plan to manage backlogs – saying a special task force will deliver a plan by September.  He told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's a distressing wait for Kiwis who need these procedures and appointments. “Do we just let people linger and wait on the waiting list or do we actually do something about it? There are thousands of health professionals who actually want to do something about it.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

National says it lost faith in the Speaker a long time ago. Winston Peters is calling for a vote of No Confidence – after Trevor Mallard trespassed five former MPs from Parliament, then withdraw it just days later.  National MP Chris Bishop told Heather du Plessis-Allan his Party's wanted him gone for a while. “We have a motion of No Confidence before the parliament but Labour will not let us debate that in parliament, we sought leave to move it a few times and it is always denied by the Labour Party, and unfortunately because Labour is the government and they have an absolute majority, they can do that.” LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trevor Mallard's U-turn. Health Minister Andrew Little announces a plan to deal with hospital waitlists. Simon Bridges will give his valedictory later tonight. Political reporter Aaron Dahmen joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Supreme Court looks to overturn abortion rights... But the fact that this is even public is a bit of a scandal in itself. Some elections in Ohio and Indiana will give an idea of how well Donald Trump's influence is holding up. And the concert so loud it registered as an earthquake. US correspondent Dan Mitchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Police are reportedly planning yet another crackdown on unlawful behaviour by gangs. The New Zealand Herald is reporting that Operation Cobalt (not to be confused with Operation Tauwhiro) will monitor gang runs and tangi processions, and prioritise bail checks and arrest warrants for gang members. A source says the objective is to put pressure on the gangs, so the public can see it. Denis O'Reilly is a lifetime Black Power member, he joined Heather du Plessis-Allan. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.