Larry Williams Drive

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday 4 July. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Digital cameras are seeing an explosion in sales following the latest Gen-Z trends.  These cameras have widely been considered dated since the arrival of smartphones. However, the younger generations seem to have made the switch back.  Auckland Camera Centre Manager Nick Khoey told Heather du-Plessis Alan that the rise in demand for these cameras has been outstanding.   ‘We’ve been selling them new, used... we just can’t keep them in stock’  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Festivities are kicking off in Dunedin - a day before it hosts its only All Blacks game this year.   The first international match of 2025 against France has sold out at Forsyth Barr Stadium tomorrow night.  But the opening of Christchurch's new stadium in April could mean Dunedin will host even fewer matches.    Mayor Jules Radich told Heather du Plessis-Allan he isn't worried.   He says the rugby union will continue to share games around the country.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Police Minister says a Labour MP's claim is a deliberate attempt to undermine hard-working officers.  Labour's Deborah Russell told Newstalk ZB Police were being told not to attend domestic violence crimes.  Political Editor Jason Walls told Heather du Plessis-Allan that data shows police are attending 7.7 percent more family violence callouts, since changing the triage system.  He says Mitchell called Russell's claim complete nonsense.  She clarified she meant to say family violence is one of the most common forms of violent crime - but often underreported.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right, tell me what you think of this.  There seems to be a bit of an effort underway at the moment to portray IRD as bad guys because they're chasing Kiwis overseas who owe money on their student loans.  Now, tell me if you think that we should let either of these two off the hook on the money that they owe.  The first is a pilot who moved to Australia 10 years ago. He now owes IRD $170,000. That is his original loan, plus basically mostly interest.  He says he moved there for a pilot job in 2014, did it for six years, lost it during COVID, had to take a low-paying job in a storage warehouse.  He's a pilot again, but this loan is so big, he doesn't know if he's ever gonna be able to pay it back.  Should we let him off his debt?  Or do you, like me, look at what a regional commercial pilot in Australia can earn, which is over $100,000 and possibly even closer to $200,000 Australian dollars, and think, he can probably afford to start paying back that debt.  The second is

The team purchasing the newly public-owned Cook Strait ferries says the process can't be compared to private contractors. Kiwirail's new ferries aren't expected to be in service until Christmas 2029. Ferry Holdings Chair, Chris Mackenzie, says part of the issue is the Government is buying new ferries - not second-hand. He also told Heather du Plessis-Allan they fulfil different needs, with the Government providing a year-round service, which the private sector can't afford. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Act's David Seymour says a unit for verifying the costs of pre-election political policy promises - would add more bureaucracy.  Act and New Zealand First torpedoed a proposal by Finance Minister Nicola Willis to publicly fund such a service.  National declined Labour’s offer of support.  Seymour claims his Party managed to release a fully costed alternative Budget without it.  He says he doesn't like the idea that people need bureaucracy to tell them what is good or accurate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Realestate.co.nz survey found that 24% of respondents bought a property without initially intending to purchase, with 8% buying spontaneously in the past year.   Agent Rawdon Christie told Heather du Plessis-Allan it's hard to believe people are really buying on a whim.   He says there's a mountain of paper work and regulations to get through before signing on the dotted line.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer backed Rachel Reeves to remain chancellor "into the next election and for many years after" after she was seen crying in the Commons yesterday. Starmer had initially refused to say whether Reeves would remain in her job until the next election. UK correspondent Enda Brady says the party's had a 'rocky' week - and they've faced a lot of scrutiny.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mastercard and a small handful of other companies have dominated the way money moves between banks, shops and consumers, but that could soon change. Stablecoins have been touted as a possible disrupter - but what does that mean for people? Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prices continue to drop in the latest Global Dairy Trade auction, with a 4.1 percent decrease across the board. It is the largest decline this calendar year, following a 1 percent dip from the previous auction, and is the fourth consecutive event where the average price has decreased. The Country's Jamie Mackay explains further. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Wellbeing Economy Alliance director Gareth Hughes and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Experts have coined the term 'passenger parenting' - what do we make of this phenomenon? What did we think of UK chancellor Rachel Reeves crying in the House? Is there an argument for more vulnerability in public - or has this display done women a disservice?  Have this week's law and order changes been a sign the Government is trying to shore up some wins ahead of the election? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Simeon Brown has told various Government-owned companies they must explain why they are failing to deliver their cost of equity and how they will improve their returns. The Minister for State Owned Enterprises told several of the SOEs - including NZ Post and Landcorp - that they've been underperforming over the last few years. Landcorp was also singled out because its CEO's pay climbed from $760,000 in 2021/22 to $927,000 in 2023/24, but company’s profit nearly halved to $36.3 million dollars during that time. Landcorp's Chief Operating Officer Will Burrett says the company's had to go back to basics - and they're not the only agricultural entity that's had to scale back.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 3 July 2025, shop owners will get more powers to trespass people but a defence lawyer is questioning whether the Government's law and order changes will help at all. The Bluebridge boss Shane McMahon tells Heather about his new ferry.. and how he got it so fast. All Blacks assistant coach Scott Hansen on the All Blacks squad that will face France on Saturday. Are you a passenger parent? Deakin University lecturer Norma Barrett explains what that is, why you might be one, and how to stop being one. Plus, the Huddle debates whether men should be banned from working in early childcare after the shocking case of alleged child abuse by a man in Australia. 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.

This is gonna sound harsh and I know it - but I think women like Rachel Reeves need to stop crying in public.This is the biggest news that is in the UK at the moment. The Chancellor, who's basically the equivalent of our Nicola Willis, started crying in Parliament. Now I feel really sorry for her, cause it looks like she is going to probably end up taking the fall for a man's incompetence because Keir Starmer, her Prime Minister, is weak and is giving into a rebellion and has forced a U-turn on her, thereby undermining her fiscal plans. And then after all of that, after doing all of that to her and humiliating her in public, what then happened in Parliament is what sparked the tears. He was asked whether, after all of the humiliation he's put her through, he's going to keep her in the job, and he would not confirm that he would keep her in the job. And she's sitting directly behind him, the cameras capture it, her face crumbles and the tears start rolling - and you'd have to be heartless not to feel for

A new study out of Victoria's Deakin University has coined a new term describing a newly-emerging parenting dynamic. The study explains that while fathers are becoming increasingly engaged in family life, many are taking on a backseat role and leaving mothers to carry the majority of parenting duties. 'Passenger parenting' was coined by public health lecturer Norma Barrett and she says it's a tricky dynamic to navigate. "It's really tricky for fathers, I think, because in those early stages their first kind of feeling of being a parent can often be after the birth, whereas mothers biologically feel like they're already on the parenting journey...and trying to slot into the journey can be tricky." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.