Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

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...

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...

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."

LISTE...

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...