Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

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With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

  1. 2H AGO

    Gavin Grey: UK correspondent on King Charles defending NATO in address to US

    King Charles reiterated the importance of NATO and other alliances with the US in a 'contested world' as part of his toast at a White House state banquet. Charles’s appearance before the joint session of Congress was the first royal address of this type in over 30 years -and the royals are set to spend the next couple of days in the US to mark the 250th anniversary of independence.  UK correspondent Gavin Grey says Trump claimed King Charles 'agreed' that Iran must not have a nuclear weapon, and Buckingham Palace has since cleared up the misunderstanding.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 min

  2. 2H AGO

    Jenee Tibshraeny: NZ Herald Wellington business editor on whether we should be concerned about insurance going up

    The recent burst of bad weather and growing concerns about inflation have prompted Kiwis to worry about their insurance premiums going up. Insurance premiums have dropped back down and more buffers have been built since Cyclone Gabrielle, but concerns have been raised. NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 min

  3. 2H AGO

    Jeremy Hutton: Milford Asset Management expert on the stock market turning around in April

    Following the market downturn in March as a result of the Iran conflict , things appear to be more hopeful towards the end of April. The ceasefire caused a significant market rally and the S&P 500 saw a boost as a result. Milford Asset Management's Jeremy Hutton explained further. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    4 min

  4. 2H AGO

    The Huddle: What do we think of TVNZ's conduct in the Maiki Sherman saga?

    Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! Should the woman who almost lost her house in a liquidator mix-up be compensated, after she had to pay nearly $1800 in legal fees? What do we make of this? King Charles delivered his speech to the the US Congress as part of his state visit to America. What can we take away from this? Is Charles trying to send a message to Trump? Should TVNZ have sent a legal letter to NZME on the Maiki Sherman story? And should Newstalk ZB have reported it anyway? LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    11 min

  5. 3H AGO

    Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: TVNZ crossed a line with their handling of Maiki Sherman

    From the commentary I’m seeing online, it’s clear there is a perception that no one reported on the Maiki Sherman revelation because the media were protecting one of their own. I can tell you that perception is true. It’s not imagined - it is true. It is not true for Newstalk ZB. And I’m not saying that because I’m employed by Newstalk ZB; I’m saying it because I was involved in some of the phone calls around this particular - shall we loosely call it - investigation. I know we tried to publish this but we ran into a couple of obstacles, which, frankly, happens with investigations. There’s no need to get too dramatic about it. I can’t tell you the number of things I’ve wanted to report on, or tried to report on, that I’ve never been able to. There’s a long list. I also don’t think the press gallery members who were at the party in Nicola Willis’ office last May can necessarily be judged for not reporting on what happened. As I said yesterday on the show, I worked in the press gallery too. I know there’s a lot of boozing in the press gallery - I did it myself - and sometimes there’s bad behaviour because that’s what happens with booze. It doesn’t always get reported. Do you narc on all your mates every time you’re out drinking and they do something stupid? No, you don’t. What was not okay, however, was that when it became known in Wellington that Newstalk ZB was trying to run a story, members of the press gallery got in touch to raise concerns. My recollection is that they were worried that if we went public with what Maiki Sherman said to Lloyd Burr, we would be breaking a long-held convention of not reporting on what happens during “drinky poos” in Parliament. They feared ministers would then panic about breaches of Chatham House rules and stop inviting the press gallery into their offices for drinks. That crossed the line, in my opinion. That was actively trying to stop media outside Wellington from reporting on what happened in Wellington, involving one of their own. In the end, it didn’t influence us at all. And I’m not telling you this because it does me any favours - it doesn’t. I expect I’ll be ostracised the next time I see some of my friends in the press gallery for saying this. But I think it’s worth saying because it’s a reminder to all of us in the media that our job is to report the facts, not to suppress them - even when it involves our mates. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    2 min
  6. Full Show Podcast: 29 April 2026

    3H AGO

    Full Show Podcast: 29 April 2026

    On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 29 April, 2026, we talk to a Middle East analyst about whether the UAE pulling out of OPEC will lower fuel prices. ACT accuses Ngai Tahu of demanding millions of dollars before refusing to support a gold mine project in Central Otago. Why a homeowner's changing her name after almost losing her house. And on The Huddle, Jordan Williams and Mike Munro discuss whether TVNZ should have threatened legal action in the Maiki Sherman saga. Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts. LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    1h 41m

  7. 3H AGO

    Simon Court: ACT MP on Ngāi Tahu calling for Central Otago gold mine to be scrapped

    Concerns have been raised by iwi Ngāi Tahu over the Central Otago gold mine proposed by Santana Minerals. At a hearing of the Fast-track expert panel in Dunedin on Tuesday, Kā Rūnaka, made up of four rūnaka representing southern Ngāi Tahu hapū, said they opposed the project.  ACT's Simon Court says Ngāi Tahu reportedly asked for shares in the gold mine - or for an alternative deal to be established.  "From the outside looking in, some people are calling this the 'great Santana shakedown'. But that's not how New Zealand should be, because all of these costs end up flowing either into household bills - or it means fewer jobs."  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    6 min

  8. 3H AGO

    Kim Dwyer: homeowner who almost lost her house on the liquidator mix-up incident

    A Palmerston North woman almost lost her house when a liquidator mistook her for someone else. The woman, 29-year-old army medic Kim Dwyer, was mixed-up with an Auckland company director with the same name. Dwyer says the liquidator has refused to compensate her for the $1735 she paid in legal fees. "He says that I should have contacted him, which, obviously, I don't know how I would have done that - because they didn't know I existed."  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    3 min
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With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

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