Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The Consumers Price Index (CPI) has increased 4.1% in the 12 months to the June 2026 quarter, according to figures released by Stats NZ today.

As expected, the increase can be partially contributed to the US-Iran war as the largest upwards contributor to the annual inflation rate was petrol, up 27.5%.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis is labelling annual inflation hitting its highest level in more than two years a “Trump spike&r...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast with Andrew Dickens for Tuesday, 21 July, 2026, former Reserve Bank senior economist Michael Reddell on what a higher inflation rate of 4.1% could mean for interest rates.

Rhythm and Vines is about to bow out of Gisborne. We find out why with chief executive Kieran Spillane.

Ponsonby News editor Martin Leach is baffled by a threat he's received from the Auckland mayor.

And on ...

President Donald Trump on Monday announced sweeping tariffs against Canada, including 50% on electrical equipment and machinery which are among the steepest tariffs his administration has levied against any country.

Director of international policy at the New North America Institute, University of Calgary, Carlo Dade said they are concerned that pushing back against the tariffs would result in consequences.

"We've largely accepted ...

Local newspaper Ponsonby News received a threatening email from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown earlier this month after publishing an opinion piece by councillor Mike Lee.

In the email, sent on July 3, Brown said, “if you are just going to publish Mike Lee bagging me then your paper will die”.

"You know, I've been publishing and editing magazines since 1990, and I've never ever had an email like that," Leach told Andrew Dic...

So, this cost of living crisis is not going away anytime soon, despite what any number of New Zealand political parties promise they can do about it.

The inflation figures are out. It's gone up by one percentage point and there's now a four in front of it. A large part of that cost is petrol, which we can do nothing about. Diesel is up 7.1%.

But even excluding tradable inflation, which we can't influence, non-tradable inflation is ...

Today, opposition party Labour has hit out at two of National's policies. 

Labour has said the RMA reforms and dissolving of council agreements with local Māori will result in a need to renegotiate existing Treaty settlements.

And, Labour justice spokesperson Camilla Belich told Andrew Dickens Labour has concerns about the voting law changes disrupting democracy. 

But, Treaty negotiations minister Paul Goldsmith denied an...

Former deputy prime minister and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce grabbed headlines after snapping at a misbehaving dog on live TV.

This isn't the first time Joyce has been caught in dog related controversy, as he once threatened to kill actor Johnny Depp’s dogs.

Australia correspondent Murray Olds said, "you have to yell at your dog from time to time, but it was honestly, I think anyone who was watching last night started to laug...

Labour is concerned that the Electoral Commission is not doing enough to enrol voters ahead of this year's election following changes to the law made by the current Government, which mean that voters cannot enrol or update their enrolment on election day or during the advanced voting period.

This means that if the contact details associated with your enrolment are incorrect, your vote could be discounted. 

Labour justice spoke...

Finance Minister Nicola Willis joined Heather du Plessis-Allan for their weekly chat.

On the Golden Bay Cement bailout, Willis defended the Government's decision to not change the ETS and instead provide funding directly to the company.

"If we had said 'actually no, the ETS doesn't apply to you, Golden Bay Cement', there would have been a conga, well, there could have been a conga line of others who would have said, 'hey, we don't ...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 20 July, 2026, Sir Bob Charles tells us why he's such a big fan of the way Open golf champion Ryan Fox plays.

Resource Management Reform Minister Chris Bishop explains how the government's getting rid of iwi agreements with local councils.

We look at how you can get a kitset granny flat - and what it'll cost you.

And on The Huddle, Josie Pagani and Trish Sherson on...

Well, I think we can probably call it: in the end, no one cared enough about the controversies at the Football World Cup. We all just had a really good time watching it.

Anyone hoping, and there were definitely people hoping, that this would be the World Cup where the corruption would finally be too much, the controversies would finally be too much, and something would be done about it, will be horribly disappointed.

Already, it so...

Today the Green Party announced their new energy policy to build a publicly owned electricity company called Kiwipower.

The policy has a proposed $980 million four-year appropriation with the goal of cutting power bills and expanding renewable energy.

"It's creating something called firming, which effectively is the power that kind of rumbles on in the background and is constant," Greens co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick told Heather du Pl...

The $1.66 billion mega-pipe solution to some of Auckland’s water woes was officially opened today. 

Watercare’s Central Interceptor tunnel runs for 16.2km from Point Erin in Herne Bay to the Māngere Wastewater Treatment Plant.

"What it does is it creates, basically, a new backbone for our wastewater system, and will over time really reduce those overflows that are occurring into our harbours," Watercare CEO Jamie S...

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister Responsible for RMA Reform Chris Bishop spoke to the public today with more details about the RMA reform. 

Bishop confirmed all existing agreements, called Mana Whakahono ā Rohe, between councils and local iwi will be scrapped, replacing them with 'iwi participation agreements'.

He told Heather du Plessis-Allan the one main goal is protecting Māori land, "and so the question is how...

Ryan Fox has become the third New Zealand golfer to win a men's major title with his victory at the men's Open Championship, 63 years after Sir Bob Charles did it the first time.

"I think all New Zealand golfers will be proud of his effort and let's hope that it, makes a lot of younger people, consider getting into the golf game," he said on Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive.

"It's a game of a lifetime, the greatest game of all."

LIST...

The Government’s carbon credit trading scheme could have shut New Zealand’s only cement manufacturing plant, but Fletcher Building announced today it got a $60 million bailout to keep it running - the $60m is not a loan.

NZ Initiative Chief Economist Dr Eric Crampton told Heather du Plessis-Allan that the bailout doesn't address the root cause of the issue. 

"It's a mess that's trying to solve what's actually a rea...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Friday, 17 July, 2026, we talk to Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard about a second case of bird flu - this time in a native hawk.

Rail Minister Winston Peters on why the new interislander ferries will be named Kupe and Cook.

We ask Parking Association chairman Mike Kelly about the best excuses he's heard for getting off parking tickets.

And on the Sports Huddle, Nick Bew...