Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive
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.
Episodes
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing today.
The two leaders met to repair relations between the nations, as it's been over 8 years since a UK Prime Minister visited China.
UK correspondent Enda Brady says concerns were raised before the visit, but the meeting appeared to go smoothly.
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Meta and Microsoft are among the big tech companies that just released their quarterly results after the stock market closed, and there's more results to come.
Meta shares were up 9 percent, but Microsoft stock was down about 5 percent.
Sam Dickie from Fisher Funds unpacked the data further.
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The storm that lashed Canterbury, Otago and Southland with severe winds in October has resulted in the second-most claims for an event in rural insurer FMG’s 120-year history.
New Zealand’s largest rural insurer has already paid out $20 million, but expects that figure to rise to about $50 million.
The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.
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Tonight on The Huddle, Thomas Scrimgeour from the Maxim Institute and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Winston Peters has raised concerns with the Government's new trade agreement with India, and he's claimed the agreement will see more migrants taking jobs off Kiwis. What do we make of this?
AA Insurance has paused new policies in the West Coast town of Westpor...
On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 29 January, 2026, a major insurer's put a halt on new home policies in Westport because of the flood risk - is it temporary or permanent?
Why your morning school run is the most dangerous time of the day on the roads.
We talk to investor and influencer Simon Squibb about making Kiwis' dreams come true - and learn about the Pink Broccoli.
Plus, on the Huddle, Thom...
Simon Squibb has always been committed to encouraging people to fulfil their dreams, and as a multi-millionaire entrepreneur, he's in a position to make real change.
He's invested in startups, used his professional insight to write a book - What’s Your Dream? Find Your Passion. Love Your Work. Build a Richer Life - and he's committed to inspiring people to take risks.
Squibb's in New Zealand and he's already been spotted...
The thing we’d been warned about with climate change has now happened - AA Insurance has stopped offering new insurance policies for Westport because of the risk of flooding.
At the very end of last year, AA Insurance wrote to the Buller District mayor advising that the company would be putting a - what they call temporary - stop to new insurance policies for properties in the 7825 postcode, which includes Westport, Carters Beach, ...
Winston Peters claims our proposed trade agreement with India would let visa holders bring family members with them.
The Trade Minister denies the FTA could allow 20,000 to 25,000 more immigrant arrivals.
Peters says Todd McClay admitted the loophole himself to a select committee.
"He had to concede that there were those people who had the right to bring their spouses and their children right away."
In the hearing, McC...
Forty-four titles have been announced for the 2026 Ockham Book Awards longlist, with true crime and politics among the big name nominees.
Nine debut authors appear in the list, three in each of the poetry, illustrated non-fiction and general non-fiction categories, including the Jacinda Ardern memoir A Different Kind of Power.
Time Out Bookstore manager Jenna Todd says it's unclear if Ardern will emerge victorious, as general ...
The Transport Minister says discussions must be had on roads that keep flooding during extreme weather events.
Chris Bishop and the Prime Minister have been surveying damage in Te Tairāwhiti, and visiting still isolated communities.
Bishop says the focus now is reopening routes.
But he says NZTA and contractors need to discuss how to future-proof these crucial routes.
"They'll be having a really good look at the Waioeka Gorge...
A warning more insurance companies could follow AA Insurance, which has paused signing up new new policies in the West Coast's Westport.
Buller District Council says the insurer has confirmed it’s temporarily halting new property policies because of the high flood-risk.
Existing policyholders can renew as usual.
Victoria University Emeritus Professor Jonathan Boston says he can almost guarantee it won't be a one-off.
"We are in a p...
New Zealand roads are about to re-enter a dangerous window as schools return for term one.
A report from driver safety advocacy group AutoSense claims accidents linked to fatigue happen most between 7 and 8am, the hour children head to school.
CEO Charles Dawson says fatigue is driven by our body clock - and it can be dangerous.
"Any vehicle that has a human behind the wheel is going to be prone to this, it's all about our natural ...
The Minister for Trade's attempting to put to bed concerns about our fair trade agreement with India - repeatedly voiced by the NZ First leader.
Winston Peters claims it will let tens of thousands more Indian migrants enter the country.
The Prime Minister has denied the assertion.
The full agreement is still not publicly available, but Trade Minister Todd McClay has detailed visa numbers to Parliament today.
Newstalk ZB...
Speculation about Liberal leader Sussan Ley's future with the party is growing, as more people call for her ousting.
Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie are the two names being discussed as potential replacements in the liberal leadership race.
Australian correspondent Murray Olds says it's likely Ley will stay in the top job as long as the vote among Australia's right bloc remains divided.
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Auckland FC can live without being in football's Australia Cup.
The Black Knights have been dumped because it's an Asian Confederation competition, while Auckland FC and the Wellington Phoenix are from the Oceania region.
Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave explained further.
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Air New Zealand says it hopes to avoid a three-day strike by international cabin crew in February.
E tū Union and the Flight Attendants Association have issued strike notices for wide-body crews on 787 and 777 Boeing flights.
The airline's Chief People Officer, Nikki Dines, says they've covered a lot of ground in 10 months of weekly meetings with the unions.
"There's a lot of things that we've agreed on, the last remaining item is ...
On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Wednesday, 28 January, 2026, we look at the legacy of Judith Collins in New Zealand politics as she prepares to become president of the Law Commission.
Air New Zealand cabin crew are preparing to go on strike - will it affect your travel plans?
Another hammer blow for the construction industry - why more than 20 businesses have gone bust in a week.
And on the ...
A unit of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will take on security roles at the Winter Olympic Games in Italy, sparking outrage and petitions in protest.
Sources at the US embassy in Rome confirmed a statement from ICE that agents would support diplomatic security details during the upcoming Games.
UK correspondent Mike Pearse says the high-profile shootings in Minneapolis have made headlines all over the world, an...
Home owners could be left covering the costs of defective work on their properties once an overhaul of the Building Act is complete.
The Government plans to give itself the ability to temporarily suspend the requirement for consumer protections to be put in place in the building sector.
NZ Herald Wellington business editor Jenee Tibshraeny explains further.
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The Reserve Bank spent most of 2025 lowering the OCR, leaving experts to speculate how these changes impacted the economy.
Since then, economic and business confidence has gone up for the start of 2026, but inflation data for the December quarter has raised some concerns
Milford Asset Management expert Brendan Larsen explained further.
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