Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

New online jewellery startup Heirest aims to reset the market by offering consumers a unique experience.

Customers can customise every detail, from metal and gemstone to cut, carat and engraving - with every choice visualised instantly and pricing updated in real time.

Founder Liam Whittaker says smaller brands can utilise lab-grown diamonds and new technology, but they don't have the same reach as big companies, and his work at Zu...

Tonight on The Huddle, Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani and Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

New polling data shows Labour, the Greens and Te Pati Māori have lower odds of getting into Parliament, while Opportunity's political probability has shot up. What could this mean for the election? 

National says they won't introduce new taxes, and higher fuel ...

How weird was National's re-announcement of its Budget Responsibility Rules? It was very weird. Essentially, National made exactly the same announcement that it made three years ago before the 2023 election.

First, it would strive for a surplus. Second, it would reduce debt. Third, it would cut Government spending.

Here's the question: has National achieved any of those things?

Not really, has it?

We don't have a surplus, even thou...

Nicola Willis says the National's new proposed increase to the fuel tax, the new bed tax and the possible bank levy aren't new information.

A Taxpayers' Union Curia Issue poll shows 76 percent of National supporters want the party to promise no new taxes or tax increases.

The party yesterday outlined a promise for fiscal responsibility - including a commitment to lower the debt to GDP ratio and to get the books back into surplus.

F...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 10 August, 2026, ACT leader David Seymour explains why he's at odds with National on tax policy.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown tells us why he's so against the controversial Delmore development.

Heatha from Harcourts says she's just being herself with her videos getting millions of views on social media.

And on The Huddle, Josie Pagani and Phil O'Reilly discuss a bad ...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has suggested a higher fuel tax, a bed tax and a bank levy could be discussed as part of a second term, but the ACT Party's not so keen.

Leader David Seymour says voters don't want new taxes, and there's a possibility that they could grow as discussions continue.

He says income tax started out as a small percentage impacting a handful of earners, and now we all pay up to eight times that starting ra...

If you've spent time scrolling social media, you would have seen Hawke’s Bay's latest star.

Heatha Edwards has been selling homes in Hawke’s Bay for more than three decades, but recently 'Heatha from Harcourts' has been racking up millions of views and international coverage.

She says her social media fame has meant extra business for Harcourts, with more of her content getting attention from investors. 

"That's ju...

Contact Energy is putting serious thought into data centres, after reporting record earnings.

The gentailer's made a $423 million annual profit - up nearly 28 percent.

It's now in talks with Australian firm CDC Data Centres, for a 250 megawatt data centre in Taranaki. 

Forsyth Barr equity analyst Andrew Harvey-Green says CDC has a good track record, and grid and fibre connections are ready to go at the site. 

He explained...

The deadline for local councils to submit their amalgamation plans was yesterday, and Local Government New Zealand is calling for clarity on the next steps.

In May, the Government gave councils three months to come up with proposals on how leadership in their regions should be reshaped - with 48 councils submitting Head Start proposals and 17 abstaining.

LGNZ President and Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz says the organisation would l...

Labour's definitively ruled out a coalition deal with New Zealand First post-election.

Leader Chris Hipkins says his MPs have unanimously decided they won't work with Winston Peters' party, after comments made by Peters and Deputy Shane Jones were labelled 'racist'.

Hipkins says a pattern of behaviour's escalated and he won't put up with the overt racism NZ First indulges in.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper s...

Over in Australia, the Health Minister says Australians are reaping the benefits of record investment in Medicare after bulk billing rates when up ahead of schedule.

The national rate rose to 84.1 percent for the June 2026 quarter - an increase of nearly 5 percent.

Australian correspondent Oliver Peterson says the bulk billing changes are impacting patients of all ages - and the Government's aiming for a 90 percent target.

LISTEN A...

All Black Billy Proctor is returning from South Africa with a fractured shoulder blade set to rule him out for up to 12 weeks, just as coach Dave Rennie rolls out his team to play the Sharks on Wednesday.

Richie Mo’unga could be invited over as a replacement.

New Zealand's changes for the next match feature Luke Jacobson as captain and potential debuts for Semisi Ta’eiloa and Bradley Slater off the bench.

Sportstalk hos...

Auckland's mayor is calling a new residential development near Orewa a 'really dumb idea'.

The 1200-home Delmore housing project has been granted fast track approval.

Watercare has made it clear it can't connect services to the site before 2033, and potentially not until at least 2050.

Mayor Wayne Brown says the council will end up picking up issues with water and transport down the track.

"Four or five idiots in Wellington, who on...

Finally, and after a long bloody wait, we've got a date for the opening of Auckland's CRL, the underground train line: September 13.

Actually, the date doesn't really matter. September 6, September 20, September 13, who cares? What matters is that it's opening, it works and it's ready to go.

This thing has been a long time coming. It's taken a decade to build. It's taken so long, and disrupted Auckland commuters and businesses for ...

In the first episode of the 100 Years of ZB Podcast, Mike Hosking takes you through the birth of the iconic 1ZB in 1926. 

The episode takes you through the history of the station from 1926 until the beginning of 1987. You'll hear snippets from the iconic names  - like Phil Shone, Aunt Daisy, Selwyn Toogood, Merv Smith and Marina (Jocelyn Parr). 

Mike Hosking will also take you back in time to the famous moments from ...

Sports Journalist Nathan Limm and ZB Rugby Commentator Hamish McKay join Heather du Plessis-Allan for the sports huddle. 

On the table today: Joseph Parker has explained what happened between him, his nutritionist and a cocaine test. 

The trio looks at the state of Netball - with international success but domestic uncertainty, are the Silver Ferns actually excited to head back to New Zealand?

And Luke Metcalf has been cal...

Shane Jones has been chewed out by the Road Carriers Association for suggesting four-lane highways are a thing of the past. 

The NZ First MP says he doesn't expect any more to be built in his lifetime, because they're too expensive to justify.

But Road Carriers Association Advocacy General Manger James Smith says this is one of the dumbest things he's ever heard from a politician. 

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that fo...