Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Queenstown will need to double its infrastructure within 15 years to keep pace with growth, according to Southern Infrastructure chief executive Ross Copland.

Copland warned  the resort town’s roads could reach capacity by the end of the decade - and said changes need to be made.

Infrastructure NZ chief executive Nick Leggett says Queenstown draws in a lot of visitors and it'll leave a bad taste if people can't get around prop...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 19 May, 2026, we talk to the New Zealand Initiative's Roger Partridge about whether Nicola Willis' plan to cut nearly 9000 public servants has gone far enough.

We ask paediatrics professor Barry Taylor if soft sleeping pods for babies should be banned.

Religious studies expert Peter Lineham tells us if Exclusive Brethren are likely to follow orders to get rid of t...

Tonight on The Huddle, Phil O'Reilly from Iron Duke Partners and NZ Herald senior correspondent Katie Bradford joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Nicola Willis has confirmed more cuts will be made to the public service sector. Do we think changes are needed here? Ae we worried about the job losses?

A former contractor at property coaching company Wealth Mentor has released a video appearing ...

Following the release of last week's Budget, there's growing claims that Australians are looking across the Tasman with 'genuine envy'.

A recent article in The Australian claimed that with no capital gains tax, no stamp duty or land tax, and the opportunity to negatively gear, business owners and property investors have taken more interest in New Zealand as a result.

Australian independent economist Saul Eslake says this is likely ...

As you’d expect, I’m a huge fan of Nicola Willis’ plan to cut down the size of the public sector.

This is the second issue I’ve been harping on about to her. The other one was, obviously, the fees-free year for university students. So I’m stoked that, on this show, we’re two from two in terms of agitating for cutting back on wasteful public spending.

The public service in this country is too big. There are 63,000 public servants. T...

Kiwi members of a religious sect may be putting down pets, on a directive from leaders.

The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church has told followers to get rid of their animals after a young family member of leader, Bruce Hales, was attacked by a dog.

Reportedly, many have already done so.

Massey University religious studies expert, Peter Lineham, says members are being required to declare what they’ve done with pets at church meeting...

Experts are flagging the dangers of some sleeping devices, after a five-month old's death in 2022. 

The baby boy was found unresponsive and died after being left in his sleeping pod on his stomach, with blankets around his face.

The Coroner says the pods, also called loungers, are unsafe - and recommended more restrictions.  

Emeritus paediatrics professor Barry Taylor says sleeping pods differ from pepī-pods, made of har...

The New Zealand Initiative is praising Government plans to slash almost 9,000 public service roles by mid-2029.

It also intends to reduce Government departments and immediately start cutting agency budgets. 

The free-market think tank says it's a great step, but ministerial portfolios should also be cut. 

Board chair Roger Partridge says there's too much duplication. 

"Some policy areas, like housing, report to as ma...

Labour has admitted key details about its Future Fund, including the cost to the Crown and which state assets will be rolled into it, will not be released until after voters have gone to the polls.

Labour’s finance spokeswoman Barbara Edmonds admitted the party doesn’t itself know which public assets will go in the fund, and won’t know until it gets advice from officials after the election.

Newstalk ZB senior political corresponden...

Opposition leader Angus Taylor has left the door open to a partnership with One Nation ahead of the next election.

One Nation is continuing to outpoll the coalition, and Taylor has expressed interest in doing whatever he can to beat Labour.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the next election is set to take place in 2028 - but the chance of this arrangement happening is 'slim'.

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A disability advocate has slammed Louise Upston moving to close the door on treating family carers as state employees.

The Disability Issues Minister is introducing a bill to enshrine support services in law.

It would reverse a Supreme Court finding they were employed by the Government - and instead give carers support packages. 

Advocate Jane Carrigan says there are isolated families with little control over their children.&n...

Tonight on The Huddle, Trish Sherson from Sherson Willis PR and Child Fund CEO Josie Pagani joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more!

Luxon's comments about immigration have raised a few eyebrows, especially from Labour's Chris Hipkins. What do we make of this?

Winston Peters has expressed interest in buying back BNZ. Do we think this is a good idea? Will this really fix our economic issues?

Is Nat...

Here’s a question for you: if you really like Winston Peters’ idea of buying back the BNZ - why? What problem do you think will be solved by buying it back?

Do you think the banks are ripping you off because they’re owned by Australians, and that if only one of them were owned by us again, they wouldn’t?

Take a look at the home loan rates Kiwibank is offering right now. They’re basically the same as - if not higher than -those offe...

On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Monday, 18 May, 2026, former Finance Minister Ruth Richardson on why we can't buy back the BNZ as Winston Peters suggests.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis reveals part of her pre-Budget speech will be on setting a target of reducing the number of public servants to 1% of the workforce.

We talk to chief victims adviser Ruth Money about why removing character references for s...