Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Kiwis head coach Stacey Jones has revealed his 23-man squad for the Rugby League World Cup ahead of the event kicking off next week.

The squad is a mix of players from the 2025 Pacific Championships-winning side, alongside a handful of new faces set to make their Kiwis debut.

Warriors star Tanner Stowers-Smith is among the new faces on the squad, and he says he's 'aways dreamed' of wearing this jersey.

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On the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Tuesday, 6 October, 2026, Barbara Edmonds admits to a mistake on Labour's fiscal plan - and then makes another "clarification".

Tanner Stowers-Smith on what it means to him to emulate his great-grandfather in the Kiwis jersey.

A top British broadcaster tells us all about Lord Jeffrey Archer's legacy.

And Maurice Williamson and Mark Sainsbury both tell tales on the fiction ...

Cocaine use has been surging in New Zealand over the past decade, and one expert has unpacked the factors behind the demand.

The Drug Trends Survey shows respondents reporting cocaine use increased from 11 percent in 2018,  to 31 percent this month.

The frequency of use is also increasing - with most people who reported using it in the past six months using it at least monthly.

Massey University Professor Chris Wilkins says th...

So, Winston Peters is pretty upset, as you would expect, about National's plan to take money from the foreign aid budget and use it to fund medicines through Pharmac. But from where I'm sitting, that seems fairly sensible, doesn't it?

The foreign aid budget, from what I understand, is worth about $1 billion, or roughly $88 for each New Zealander over four years. National wants to redirect about $17 of that $88 a person over the sam...

Tonight on The Huddle, Auckland Councillor Maurice Williamson, and former broadcaster Mark Sainsbury joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day - and more! 

National has pledged to make cuts to foreign aid to boost Pharmac's budget. Winston Peters isn't a fan of this suggestion - do we think that's fair? What needs to take priority? 

What do we make of the latest batch of polls? Should National and Lu...

Winston Peters is accusing National of grasping at straws.

National is campaigning on diverting 10 percent of foreign aid to Pharmac for cancer drugs - although not touching Pacific funding.

It would require cost-savings from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, like other agencies.

MFAT was exempted from savings for Budget 2026 after Peters intervened.

He says building trade will grow our economy - and it should be the key t...

Acclaimed author and former politician Lord Jeffrey Archer died today at the age of 86.

In a statement, his publisher HarperCollins said the author died between writing sessions, with his final book due to come out tonight in Britain. 

Broadcaster and Sky News political editor Adam Boulton says this development was 'surprising', given there was no indication of illness.

"In that sense, one has to say it was a good death, it ju...

Labour has used an error in its fiscal plan to echo its support for an independent policy costings unit.

The party has admitted accidentally recording a cost as a saving, and a saving as a cost - and will correct it.

The Taxpayers' Union pointed out the plan labelled the costs for reversing accommodation supplement changes as a $44.8 million dollar saving.

Labour Finance Spokesperson Barbara Edmonds says it was her mistake - that s...

Support for the biggest parties continues to slide, with their combined support in a new RNZ-Reid Research Poll now below 57 percent.

Since the August poll, National has fallen 3.2 points to 25.9 percent, and Labour 1.4 points, to 30.8.

The left bloc is ahead, and Opportunity holds the balance of power.

Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper explained further.

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Migration continues to be a hot-button issue in Australian politics, and Opposition leader Angus Taylor is pledging to slash numbers further.

One Nation and Labour have announced their own bids to cut down migration, and Taylor revealed a Coalition Government would reduce the number of  temporary visa holders by 650,000 people over four years.

Australian correspondent Murray Olds says the issue of migration is important to the...

Multiple current and former Warriors have been named in the Tongan and Samoan squads for the Rugby League World Cup.

Former Kiwis captain Dallin Watene-Zelezniak has been selected for Tonga - the flying winger played the last of his 13 tests for New Zealand at the 2022 World Cup.

Also in that squad are Warriors forwards Leka Halasima and Demitric Vaimauga.

The Samoan group includes Warriors five-eighth Chanel Harris-Tavita and form...

Tauranga City Council's heeding an investigation into Mt Maunganui's fatal landslide, and putting in plans at another high-risk area.

Parts of Tauranga Historic Village will close during orange and red rain warnings - due to a large neighbouring bank - under a Trigger Action Response Plan . 

The council was criticised for not having a similar plan for Mauao. 

Local Business Chamber boss, Matt Cowley, says the plan only co...

Petrol prices have hit their highest level since the start of the Iran-US war.

Fuel monitoring site Gaspy today shows the average price of 91 unleaded is three dollars 50 point six.

The latest increase follows a sustained period over where the price of global oil price benchmark Brent Crude has sat above US 100 dollars a barrel.

Finance Minister Nicola Willis told Heather du Plessis-Allan she hasn't had advice on how high the price...

Northland Cricket board chair Derek Slatter's joined calls in demanding transparency from New Zealand Cricket.

His plea follows criticism from Sir Richard Hadlee and former NZC president Lesley Murdoch at secrecy surrounding the Deloitte report - which examined options for the future of our T20 competition.

Options included collaborating with Australia's Big Bash League or starting a privatised competition.

New Zealand Cricket chos...

Medical conditions are being cited as a factor in a death row inmate's botched execution. 

Christa Pike was sentenced to death for murder in 1996.

Two lethal doses failed - and the 50-year-old's now in hospital, being given 'life-saving measures'.
 
Anaesthesiology Professor and legal consultant, Joel Zivot, told Heather du Plessis-Allan it was known Pike had small veins. 
 
He says she also has a me...

National's pledging to give stage one of South Auckland's Mill Road - the green light.

The party is promising $1.75 billion in Budget 2028 to begin construction between Manukau and Alfriston.

The four-lane route is designed to ease pressure on State Highway 1 as South Auckland’s population grows.

A further $100 million will go towards protecting the future route for stages two and three through to Drury.

Transport spokesperso...

Election 2026 is set to be one of the most important in recent memory.  

To cut through the spin – join Newstalk ZB’s The Front Bench to get to the heart of the issues that matter most. 

Heather du Plessis-Allan, Barry Soper, Josie Pagani and Trish Sherson thrash out the big political issues in the lead up to Election 2026. There's no holding back, no topic off limits, and no rules in this rapid-fire, highly o...