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
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...
Trade Minister Todd McClay addressed media with his Swiss counterpart Helene Budliger Artieda at the Future of Investment and Trade (FIT) Partnership ministerial meeting in Auckland to announce trade partnership talks.
Limited details are available as the talks are in the early stages.
"What we've agreed today is to start a formal trade investment dialogue," McClay told Heather du Plessis-Allan.
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Question for you: was Donald Trump's speech to the American people a classic case of muddying the waters?
For Trump, it was a relatively short speech, about 40 minutes, in which he claimed there had been Chinese interference in the 2020 presidential election, that there were extreme vulnerabilities in the election system that need to be closed and that China obtained more than 200 million American voter registration records. He the...
In a speech to the American people Donald Trump has once again claimed fraud in the 2020 election, this time alleging Chinese interference.
Former Republican Communications Director, Doug Heye, told Heather du Plessis-Allan, "I think trying to make any sense out of this speech is a fool's errand."
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Rail Minister Winston Peters revealed the names of the two new ferries headed for New Zealand in 2029.
The new ferry names are Kupe, after the first Polynesian navigator to discover New Zealand, and Cook, after Captain James Cook, who led an expedition to New Zealand with the Endeavour in the 18th century.
Peters confirmed that KiwiRail would continue to own the Interislander ferries once they arrive, the Government had refused to ...
A native hawk in the Wairarapa has been confirmed as the second case of bird flu in New Zealand.
The animal was sent to a wildlife hospital after suffering a head injury where the disease was found upon routine testing.
Minister of Biosecurity Andrew Hoggard told Heather du Plessis-Allan that they are working with farmers in the region.
"From an MPI perspective, we are touching base with all, I think there's about 13, e...
US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson joined Heather du Plessis-Allan to chat the latest news out of the USA.
Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, has announced that US troops aged 30 or older will have to undergo testosterone testing as part of annual health screenings.
Mitchinson said, "there are, you know, studies that show 1 in 4 men over 30 have low testosterone, and only 1 in 20 recognise the symptoms, but really this just seems l...
Privacy Commissioner Michael Webster says that cases of unauthorised employees snooping on private information are growing.
He told Heather du Plessis-Allan "it looks like at least 1 in 10 cases are employee browsing, and a greater percentage, up to a third, are, are what we call unauthorised access. So, people who have a right to look at material, but only for work purposes, and they're using it for their personal purposes."
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The wait for England's next Football World Cup final appearance will extend beyond 60 years.
The Three Lions have lost 2-1 to defending champions Argentina in the semi finals in Atlanta...after conceding two late goals in seven minutes.
Manager Thomas Tuchel is already under scrutiny for his second half tactics after leading 1-nil.
Argentina and Spain will contest the final in New Jersey on Monday.
UK correspondent Enda Brady unpac...
The major US banks have reported their earnings, and experts say these results can offer a clear snapshot of the state of the US and global economy.
JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and Citi were among the major banks reporting their results, leaving investors to speculate about the wider implications.
Fisher Funds expert Sam Dickie explained further.
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Meat industry leaders are disappointed with the United States’ move to initiate a safeguard investigation into lamb imports from New Zealand and Australia.
The investigation, to be carried out by the US’s International Trade Commission, is expected to take up to six months to complete.
The Country's Jamie Mackay explained further.
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Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and former Labour Minister Phil Goff joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!
Councils have been signing iwi partnership agreements before the RMA is replaced - are we worried about this? What is Chris Bishop trying to do?
ACT leader David Seymour is looking into banning smartphones for under-16s. Do we think this is the way to...
On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday, 16 July, 2026, Auckland University professor Dianne Brunton tells us why the spread of bird flu is now inevitable.
Greens co-leader Marama Davidson on why the party believes new employees should automatically join the union.
We talk to a university student leader about why those who have part-time jobs are doing better.
If anyone on a council at the moment can't understand why so many of us ratepayers are so hostile towards them, sometimes bordering on hatred, can I just suggest they take a look at what's going on with these agreements with iwi? That might actually give them a bit of an idea.
If you haven't followed this, Chris Bishop is planning to replace the Resource Management Act shortly and his replacement law will not allow councils to sign...
Kiwis are often told to look for the best deals on power, and they're not afraid to swap providers for a better price.
So who's winning and who's losing the battle for those customers?
Data from the Electricity Authority shows that Genesis Energy is the biggest loser here, with the company losing a net 35,015 customers in the year to June.
Nova lost 9059, Manawa 3329 and Mercury 2706.
On the opposite end, Contact gained 20,577, Ele...
A Far North Councillor is accusing the council of keeping details of iwi agreements under the rug.
Davina Smolders says the council is in the process of negotiating and signing Mana Whakahono ā Rohe with five iwi and one hapu.
She is demanding these agreements be made public so voters and other elected officials can have their say.
Smolders says the deals are binding statutory agreements.
She says they establish permane...
A new report by the Education Ministry shows more tertiary students than ever have been working while studying and most had better pass rates than the ones who didn't work.
The report said that in 2024, students in low-intensity work had a course completion rate of 88 percent while those in moderate-intensity work had a slightly lower pass rate.
Meanwhile, those who did not work at all had the same pass rate as those in high-intens...
The Greens have made an election pledge to make union membership automatic for new employees.
Co-leader Marama Davidson says this members bill and policy would make union membership the default setting for new employees, who could choose to opt out.
Davidson explained that unions are a critical way for workers to get better pay and conditions and this bill will make it easier for them to get involved.
"This is a good idea, and of c...
More cases of bird flu seem inevitable here, according to some experts.
Our first infection with the globally spreading H5N1 strain has been confirmed in a migratory brown skua, found on Wellington's Petone Beach last Friday.
Auckland University Professor Dianne Brunton says it's not even clear if our next likely case will be linked.
"New Zealand is kind of in the middle of nowhere, of course, but we are surrounded by s...
The Green Party says unions are to thank for workplace rights Kiwis now see as a given.
Co-leader Marama Davidson's announced a members bill to make union membership the default, which is also a Party election policy.
Membership would still be optional, but workers would need to opt-out, not in.
Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says this proposal feels like a step backwards, given which other count...
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